religious democracy

Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani was one of the great jurists who had a great contribution in the formation of the Islamic Revolution and its consolidation, and also created new models in Islamic management by managing political and revolutionary institutions. Apart from this, he has had a high position in the advancement of religious knowledge in recent decades in Iran and with the management of Imam Sadiq University, he has played an important role in the link between humanities and religion. According to these issues, it is necessary to know the different aspects of his thinking. Based on this, one of the most important topics that has been important in his intellectual field is the issue of religious democracy or, in his own words, popular theocracy. Since the Islamic system has always sought to realize the model of religious democracy, it is important to know the dimensions of this concept from the perspective of Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani. This research, using the method of content analysis, seeks to discover the dimensions of this issue in his political memories and statements in Tehran's Friday prayers. The findings of this research indicate that Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani's approach to the concept of religious democracy in the examined documents was an inclusive and comprehensive approach. In this sense, the concept of religious democracy in his thought, apart from including religious and political dimensions, also included popular and social dimensions. These dimensions have shown themselves in the form of various elements. For example, he has considered obedience to the Velayat-e Faqih as part of the religious foundations of religious democracy. Also, the consultation and criticism of the rulers has been considered in the political field of this concept and it has considered the people's cooperation with the system from the social dimensions of religious democracy. It is obvious that such an attitude can be one of the practical models for the realization of religious democracy in Iran, and it can provide new fields for understanding religious democracy.

Each social system, relying on the principles and values ​​of that society and in the light of cultural, religious beliefs, traditions and social customs, tries to create a suitable framework for improving social cooperation. This issue is also very important in the eyes of Islam, and considering the importance of cooperation and participation between people on the one hand and people with the political system with each other and vice versa, some jurisprudential rules such as cooperation come to mind. In other words, the rule of cooperation shows us the importance of social, economic, political and civil cooperation, in the light of which the political system can also be influenced and organized based on the principles and ideals of Islam such as justice, freedom, human dignity and happiness. Therefore, establishing a link between the social and political arenas in the establishment of an Islamic system or achieving a desirable society is part of the effort of the people (and not just politicians) who can establish the social and cultural system as a support for the political system and benefit from its results. The necessity felt for writing the present text is to find a solution from religious texts and jurisprudential rules in Islamic society that can be operationalized in the political and social arena and transform social cooperation as a tool for solving political and social problems. Specifically, the outbreak of war, insecurity, social and political uprisings, even economic problems such as high prices, inflation and the pressures resulting from them, if they are without the element of social cooperation, become a political and security crisis for the Islamic system. Therefore, the effort to make social cooperation effective in realizing the desired Islamic society is an effort to help confront threats against the Islamic system that can be achieved based on the principle of cooperation.

The Islamic Revolution in Iran, unlike the general trend of Western modernity, did not succeed by advocating the separation of religion and politics. Rather, it triumphed under the banner of their collaboration. Consequently, one of the major issues in post-revolutionary Iran has been the capacity of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) to govern public affairs. In this context, the present study investigates the relationship between Islamic jurisprudence and the concept of political parties in contemporary Iran. The hypothesis of the research suggests that political fiqh, through its ongoing engagement with the modern state, has developed broad capacities to absorb and manage modern institutions such as political parties. The findings reveal that not only is there no essential contradiction between Islamic jurisprudence and political partisanship, but also that juristic sources contain conceptual models that can legitimize and guide political party activity. The research method is descriptive-analytical, and data collection is based on library and documentary sources.

About nine months before his passing, Imam Khomeini (pbuh) proposed Ayatollah Khamenei as the future leader of the Islamic Revolution, and subsequently, during various periods, he explained the necessary characteristics for leadership of an Islamic society. Considering that the system of religious democracy is a unique and unprecedented model of governance, and one of the reasons for this distinction is the existence of the leadership position, it is necessary to examine whether the system's performance in the selection of the leader has been in line with the indicators of religious democracy (Islamism and republicanism). Therefore, the main question of this research is: What indicators led to the selection of Ayatollah Khamenei as the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran? Given the topic and research question, it seems that a qualitative method with an analytical-descriptive approach is an appropriate method to achieve the research results. The reason for choosing this method is that it allows for the description of events related to the selection of the leader, while examining the realization of indicators related to the processes of republicanism and elements of Islamism in the thought of religious democracy, with the processes that have taken place for the selection of the leader and the characteristics of the selected individual. The results shows that the specific indicators of religious democracy (republicanism and Islamism) based on legitimacy in Shia political thought, the system of Imamate, and popular presence and acceptance, which are reflected in the constitution, govern the process of the selection of Ayatollah Khamenei.

The establishment of the Islamic Republic following the 1979 revolution (1357 in the Iranian calendar) marked a new chapter in the history of political parties in Iran, endowing them with a distinct identity. By combining Islamic values with democratic principles, this system defined a unique framework for party activities. However, despite the existence of party laws and the formation of numerous political organizations, these entities have failed to play an effective role in advancing political development and achieving the ideals of Islamic democracy. This study, focusing on the period from 1997 to 2023 (1376-1402), seeks to explore the factors contributing to this ineffectiveness within the context of the Islamic Republic. The central research question is: why, despite the presence of a legal framework and the large number of political parties, have they been unable to secure their proper place within the Islamic democratic system or deliver the expected outcomes? This research is significant because a systematic and scientific analysis of the obstacles and challenges confronting political parties can pave the way for practical solutions to enhance their role in political development and the realization of Islamic democratic goals.

Data collection was carried out in two phases: library research and fieldwork. The fieldwork involved conducting semi-structured interviews with two groups: university professors and party-civic activists. This was supplemented by an extensive review of existing literature and the theoretical framework of the study. The semi-structured interview protocol consisted of fifteen open-ended questions, which formed the basis for open and axial coding and qualitative content analysis, facilitating the extraction of research categories. After gathering and compiling the responses, in-text codes were identified and categorized. These categories were then developed into subcategories, which ultimately led to the formation of main categories. The results for each group were presented in separate tables. Throughout this process, the principle of theoretical data saturation was applied to ensure comprehensiveness and prevent redundancy.

The findings, derived from expert opinions, indicate that party and civil activism in Iran faces multifaceted, deeply rooted structural challenges, which can be categorized into four main levels: 1) Legal and Structural Challenges: These include limited space for party activities due to biased legal interpretations, the absence of comprehensive party laws, legal restrictions, government-imposed limitations, a security-driven perspective on political activism, the lack of recognition of parties’ roles in elections, restrictions on freedom of expression, and the inefficiency of legal mechanisms. 2) Internal Organizational and Behavioral Challenges: These encompass weakened party performance and declining public trust due to the lack of party maturity, insufficient engagement with society, reliance on individual leaders, opportunistic behavior, hostile rivalries, disregard for legal norms, lack of financial transparency, absence of internal democracy, poor accountability and conflict management, contradictory actions, overreliance on slogans, weak organizational cohesion, dependence on government or foreign entities, and inadequate training of party members. 3) Challenges in Communication with Society: These involve diminished legitimacy and public acceptance due to a disconnect from the populace, weakened ties with the social base, neglect of public opinion, failure to address societal issues, lack of solidarity with protests, public distrust of political parties and civil institutions, discrediting of intellectual elites, and ineffective networking. 4) Challenges in Relations with the Ruling Establishment: These include a growing gap and lack of constructive interaction caused by insufficient efforts to promote dialogue, the absence of institutionalized communication mechanisms, party conservatism, the closure of electoral channels, suppression of independent civil institutions, and the ruling establishment’s disregard for civil demands.

The analysis of solutions proposed by university professors, researchers, and party-civic activists suggests that overcoming the challenges faced by political parties and civil activism in Iran requires a comprehensive, multidimensional approach encompassing structural, legal, behavioral, and communicative reforms. Key recommendations include: Strengthening Communication with Society and Party Members: This can be achieved by ensuring continuous engagement with the public, representing public demands, promoting transparency in party operations, and establishing local branches. Enhancing Transparency and Accountability: Legal obligations, internal mechanisms for accountability, transparent performance, and oversight processes are essential to improve party credibility. Removing Legal and Structural Obstacles: This involves eliminating restrictive laws, financially empowering political parties, institutionalizing party politics, and ensuring media access. Changing Government Attitudes and Promoting a Culture of Party Politics and Democracy: Political will, fostering dialogue with parties, respecting diverse opinions, and amending constitutional provisions are necessary steps. Other Recommendations: These include ending negative rivalries, providing political education, ensuring financial independence for parties, promoting ethical practices, and fulfilling election promises. This comprehensive approach aims to reform existing structures and laws, strengthen political parties and civil institutions, and foster changes in societal attitudes and the political culture.

One of the most basic institutions of the current democracy is the Parliament (Majlis). In democratic countries, there is a bicameral or unicameral parliament, elected or appointed, which represents the principle of representation of the people and national sovereignty. This institution has many names in many countries. In Iran's constitutional law system, the Islamic Council is considered a representative institution and fulfills its duties in two main ways: legislation and supervision. In this regard, this year, it is raised that what is the supervisory position of the Islamic Council in religious democracy? In response to this question and in the form of findings, it is stated that in the religious democracy ruling the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Majlis has five supervisory dimensions. These dimensions include institutional supervision, informational supervision, political supervision, financial supervision and discretionary supervision. The current research has been carried out with the analytical descriptive method and using the library and documentary method and using the constitution as the main sources.

The main issue of this research is to achieve the desired model of people's participation in cyberspace governance and its main question is as follows: based on the theoretical foundations of religious democracy, what is the ideal model of cyber space governance? In order to find the answer, the required data were collected through interviews with the experts and documentary methods, and analyzed with using Grounded Theory method. The statistical community of experts in this research is a collection of policymakers, executive managers, university professors and researchers related to the field of cyberspace governance in Iran, and a semi-structured interview was conducted with 12 of them using theoretical sampling. The findings collected during 3 stages of open, central and selective coding were analyzed and the validity and reliability of the research process was evaluated and confirmed based on the four criteria of compliance, comprehensibility, generalization and control. The findings of this study show that by considering the differences between cyberspace governance and physical space governance that are emergent of the contextual factors (namely the specific features of this space), the realization of the religious democracy theory in cyberspace governance is possible through a meta-governance. The result of this research is that The Religious and Peopleized Model of Meta-Governance is a combination of three governance models: hierarchical governance model in the infrastructure layer, market governance model in the service layer, and network governance model in the content layer, that surrounded by the principles of the religious democracy theory.

The present study aims to examine and analyze the reasons for the failure of political party activities in Iran during the years 1368 to 1392, with a focus on the political culture of elites and the interaction of structure/agency. In the model of democratic governance, political parties emerged from the acceptance of public elections and are regarded as the progeny of democracy, facilitating peaceful power transitions, elite rotation, and organized political participation of citizens. Therefore, they play a significant role in the political development of states. The emphasis of governance structures and the constitution on legal political participation and competition, alongside the instability and institutionalization of party activities, presents a multidimensional challenge that can seriously disrupt the rules of political games and, consequently, political stability, national security, and the nature of governance. Thus, it is essential to critically review and examine the complex and intertwined issues surrounding why the function of political parties in the Islamic Republic of Iran faced failure from 1368 to 1392. The research findings, using a descriptive-analytical method and utilizing library-documentary resources along with Giddens' structuration theory framework, indicate that various factors contribute to the failure of party mechanisms in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The political culture of elites, however, has proven to be a more influential factor. Political elites in Iran, unaware of the party's functions and the specific social context, influenced by temporary conditions and the pursuit of political power, established party organizations. Therefore, political parties not only lost their primary functions within the socio-political structure of society but also led to a lack of institutional trust at the level of political competition.

One of the most important theories proposed in the context of Iranian social system is the theory of “religious democracy,” which was initially introduced by Imam Khomeini as the “Islamic Republic”, and the Iran’s political system was shaped after the Islamic Revolution based on this theory. Researches and various activities have been carried out with a focus on explaining the foundations of religious democracy, and on formulating it. Drawing upon the analytical-descriptive method, the aim of this research is to analytically examine religious democracy in terms of an interpretation presented by Ayatollah Khamenei. This interpretation (reading) is explained within the framework of his intellectual system through the two layers of worldview and ideology. Accordingly, the main question of the research is, “What is the role of religious democracy in formulating the principles of Islamic worldview and ideology from the perspective of Ayatollah Khameneī?’ The authors of this article hold the view that, in Ayatollah Khamenei’s intellectual system, religious democracy is explained for the realization of the goal of Islamic governance, and in his intellectual system, it has taken shape around the central theme of wilāyah, “guardianship”; a multi-faceted guardianship that will bring about the unity of people with each other, the unity of the Ummah (Islamic Community) with the Imam, and ultimately, the unity of the Muslim community,Ummah, with the Truth.

The purpose of the current research is to introduce the political-culture of religious democracy as a desirable political culture from the perspective of the leaders of the Islamic Republic (Taking into account the assumption that the people of Iran are Muslims and believers and accept the sovereignty of divine decrees by the people for social arrangements and governance affairs in the country) and presenting a conceptual model to realize it and get out of the conflicting political cultures we are suffering from in Iranian society.the main question of the current research is how to operationalize the process of researching the political culture of religious democracy in the form of a conceptual model in Iranian society? In order to reach the answer of the research, we have benefited from the hindsight method aimed at the future and the combined quantitative and qualitative method. Also, by using the fuzzy Delphi method as well as the structural analysis method based on the tables of mutual relations matrix and by using the MicMac software, the most important and key drivers and uncertainties affecting the future of political culture in Iran were identified. The findings of the research show that the political culture of religious democracy, as a result of the integration of the drivers of myth-making, justice, Ashurai culture and Mahdism, the connection of religion and politics, and the desire for independence with the three tools of independence, freedom and democracy, provides the possibility of achieving the political culture of religious democracy.

Religious democracy is one of the most important concerns of today's cultured society. This theory was first proposed in the political literature of Iran during the Constitutional Revolution, and after the Islamic Revolution, it was established as a response to the question of the legitimacy of this system (background). However, this theory has always been disputed; while some, insisting on the components of liberal democracy, consider it to be lacking in democratic standards, others consider it to be the best model of democracy due to factors such as participation, people's satisfaction, and division of powers (problem). Martyr Muṭahharī is one of the modernist thinkers who has theorized about religious democracy. Given that he is considered the most important theoretician of the Revolution, it is appropriate to examine the theory of this thinker. The present article aims to critically analyse this theory with the critical analytical method based on Skinner's authorial intentionalism hermeneutics (method), and it specifically seeks to identify the principles on which this theory is based and analyse it critically (question). This theory considers democracy as a method and by emphasizing the possibility of religious democracy, it assigns a supervisory role to the Guardian Jurist (hypothesis). The findings indicate that according to the theory of Martyr Muṭahharī, the issues of freedom and the role of the people in the government are of great importance. However, the position and function of the Guardian Jurist as one of the pillars of religious democracy remains ambiguous (findings).

The model of the political system in any society is always influenced by the beliefs and values of that society. This issue has taken a more prominent form in Iranian society after the Islamic revolution of 1357.with the study of the community of humanities students of the Islamic Azad University of Shiraz University, aims to investigate the influence of religious beliefs and values on the formation and realization of the model of religious democracy. Based on Cochran's formula, 332 people were selected as the sample size by simple random sampling method and were analyzed by t-test method. The findings show that the realization of the model of religious democracy is influenced by the attitude of the people of the Iranian society towards the components of this model. the realization of the model of religious democracy means the acceptance of a distinct form of society administration, which can also be considered as a factor for the expansion of the Islamic Revolution. From this point of view, issuing the model of religious democracy means issuing the values of the Islamic Revolution in the new stage of the Islamic Revolution. Another argument is that the link between religion and political values by the Islamic revolution is a special and distinct model, which is clearly a negation of the propagation of the model of secularism on the one hand and an ineffective negation of the role of religion in the administration of Islamic societies on the other hand.

In today's era, the failure of many neo-democratic systems is mainly due to the fact that the politicians of these societies thought they were able to establish democracy by creating a few party and parliamentary institutions and neglected to deepen it at the lower levels of society. This is despite the fact that, according to some political thinkers, democracy is not just a form of government, but a way of life and political and social conduct. By following the opinions of Ayatollah Khamenei, we found that he has a broader view of the concept of religious democracy and considers this concept as a way of social life. Therefore, the purpose of the present fundamental research, using the ijtihad method, is to answer the question, what are the concept and components of religious democracy as a way of life? Based on the above approach, the model of religious democracy is the method and way of life of the people who, within the framework of Islamic laws and also based on Islamic teachings, in all areas of social life - including politics, economy, culture, science and knowledge, etc. Active participation in all decision-making, implementation and monitoring processes. The identified components of the model of democracy as life are: active and extensive participation in all areas of life and society, cooperation and cooperation, decentralization, free consultation and dialogue in the public sphere, expansion of civil society and middle circles, and the prohibition of evil.Based on the above approach, the model of religious democracy is the method and way of life of the people who live within the framework of Islamic laws and also based on Islamic teachings, in all areas of social life - including politics, economy, culture, science and knowledge, etc. - have active presence and participation in all decision-making/making, implementation and monitoring processes. The identified components of the model of democracy as life are: active and extensive participation in all areas of social life, cooperation and assistance, decentralization, free consultation and dialogue in the public sphere, the development of civil society. And the middle circles and enjoining good and forbidding evil.

Religious democracy is a political theory based on the two principles of God and people, but at the same time it is not theocracy or democracy. Rulers in a theocracy are considered to be appointed by God, enforce His law, and answerable only to Him, while in a democracy they rule according to the will of the majority of the people. The main research question is, what is the position of God and people in the religious democratic system based on the principles of the constitution? In response, data and documents are collected and analyzed with a descriptive-analytical approach and library tools. According to the results of this research, based on the principles of the constitution, religious democracy is based on both the foundation of God and the people, the political will of the people is defined during the absolute sovereignty of God, and the laws of God, chosen by the majority of the people, form the framework of the political system, and in that people They are in control of their destiny on behalf of God, and those in charge are accountable both to the people and to God.

The model of democracy was established in Iran as one of the most creative models of political systems after the 1979 revolution. The process of establishment and continuation of this model of governance is different from the model of liberal democracy and in the opposite direction to the universal trend of secularism and the explanation of its various dimensions needs research. In this research, from the thought of Ayatollah Motahhari, who was the chairman of the Revolutionary Council and its ideologue, the indicators of the model of religious democracy and their internal relationship are obtained by analytical-descriptive method and the use of library resources and works. According to the results of this study, belief in the political authority of religion and the position of the people in politics provides the basis for the establishment of a religious democracy system, with the establishment of this system and observance of the law, political equality and freedom; The nation and the government will move towards the implementation of justice and independence, and as a result, more turn to religion and a stronger presence of the people, and this situation will create the cycle of establishing and consolidating the religious democracy system.

Considering the importance of nation building and the necessity of developing a special model of community building in the 5-stage road map of the new Islamic civilization, in this research, the model of community building in the religious democracy system is examined based on the provisions of the second step statement. The main question is, what are the characteristics of the socialization model in the statement of the second step? This research collects and analyzes data within the framework of revolutionary system theory and with library tools and descriptive-analytical methods. Based on the findings of this article, the model of socialization of the religious democracy system in the second step statement is different from the model of socialization of the nation-state of Western civilization and is in the direction of the model of socialization of the Islamic Ummah-nation and all-round progress of the society starts and with the simultaneous strengthening of the national and Islamic identity and efficient state-building is realized.

During the Iranian Islamic Revolution, the slogan "Esqlal, Freedom, Islamic Government" was first raised. This slogan was changed to "Esqlal, Freedom, Islamic Republic" by the leaders of the revolution in December 1357. This change is an indication of the twin belief in religious government and democracy in the thought of Imam Khomeini (RA) and other leaders of the Islamic Revolution. He does like Ayatollah Beheshti. The turning point of this was the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran on April 12, 1358, in which Ayatollah Beheshti was one of the influential figures in the establishment and drafting of its constitution. In this article, we examined the theory of religious democracy in his thought. After examining the category of political system in the thought of Ayatollah Beheshti and comparing the data with the proposed frameworks for the religious democratic system, the results and findings of the research indicate the belief in the basis of divine-popular legitimacy in the theory of religious democracy in the thought of Ayatollah Beheshti. Our research method in this article has been descriptive-analytical and we have used the library method to collect information.

Democracy is a public demand in the new ages and non-democratic Systems are on the verge of collapsing. These two systems have main differences from one another. The problem of this article is the state of Republicanism from the perspective of Ayatollah Khamenei. In order to discover the components of republicanism, His works have been investigated with thematic analysis method The findings of the research, formed of tables of basic, organizer, comprehensive themes and network of themes are showed that: A- The legitimacy of the political system of Islam has two areas, the divine area (the area of attributes) and the people's area (the area of recognition and election), which have an organic relation and do not operate one another. B- People's will plays a key role and its logic is different from the secular democratic systems. C- Legality is its fundamental trait which provides people’s rights. D. People are not only obliged to obey, but they have the right to create governance and monitor the performance of agents at all levels. E- Agents are accountable for their performance. F- The positions are temporary, the agents are directly and indirectly elected by the people.Consequence: Explanation the components of Republicanism from Ayatollah Khamenei's point of view can change the social and organizational approach in the field of decision-making and a step towards ending the challenge of the relation between Republicanism and Islamism. The documents of his works are in conflict with two readings of the relation between people and religion (Instrumentation of people and Instrumentation of religion)

Shura is one of the accepted principles among all Islamic religions and each religion has its own interpretation based on its principles. These different interpretations reflect the role of the council in religious democracy. Using a comparative method, this article seeks to find the commonalities and differences between the theory of the council from the perspective of Shiite and Sunni thinkers, relying on the views of Imam Khomeini and Rashid Reza. The answer to this question clarifies the angles of the council in Islam and the basis of religious democracy; Because both thinkers, based on inferences from the book and tradition and based on their principles, emphasize the principle of the council, and have considered it as a political theory in their idea of ​​Islamic government, but differ in details. From the point of view of most Shiite thinkers, especially Imam Khomeini, since the government has a divine aspect, the council has no role in the divine legitimacy of the religious government and only affects the form of government and its administration and in accordance with Islamic law plays an essential role in legislation. he does; But from the Sunni point of view, the council plays a role both in the legitimacy and formation of the government and in its administration and legislation, because the government, in the view of most of them, including Rashid Reza, is merely a social phenomenon and the responsibility of the people.