The Shi‛ite Political Culture and Its Relation with the Iranian Pre-Islamic and Western Cultures

The Shicite political culture is centred around the concept of Imamat (or the leadership of Imams), and, hence, is opposed to tyrannical and colonial cultural patterns. In the Shicite political culture, political power is checked on through internal and external supervision. The author argues that the principles of the Shicite political culture, such as the rule of law and the need for a checked upon political power, have been challenged by the pre-Islamic royalist culture of Iran and the humanist and secular culture of the West, particularly in the Pahlavi era. The Islamic Revolution of 1979 and its outcome, that is, the Islamic Republic of Iran, have been products of the Shicite political culture, and heralded the beginning of the institutionalisation of the principle of the rule of law and the establishment of a just system in Iran.