Iran: Citizens,

Society, and the

State
AP Comparative Government

 While Iranians have had little experience with

democracy, they have a thriving civil society

Society

Sharia sets strict rules for behavior, but individuals still

have a great deal of freedom in their daily lives
The Constitution of 1906 created an elected legislature
called the Majles ,but the government being so weak
was unable to solve the countrys problems
This weakness is what helps to establishe authoritarian
rule in Iran throughout much of the 20th century

 Religion
Almost 89% of Iranians are Shia Muslims
About 10% are Sunni Muslims
1% of people are a combination of Jews, Christians, Zoroastrian,
and BahaI

Many of these minority religious groups have left Iran since the
founding of the Republic in 1970 as a result of religious
persecution

Cleavages

Leaders of the Bahai have been executed, imprisoned, tortured,

schools have been closed, and their property taken away
Other minorities have left due to uncertain rights
This is all despite the fact that the Constitution guarantees the rights
of religious minorities

Ethnicity
Ethnicity is closely tied to religion
51% of citizens are considered Persian, 24% Azeri, 9% are Gilaki
and Mazandarani, 7% are Kurds, 3% are Arabic
The remaining percentages are a mixture of groups

There is fear that the concentration of Azeri will lead to that group
of people taking territory from Iran to start an independent state

 Social Class
The peasantry and lower middle class are sources of
support for the regime

Cleavages

These groups support the regime largely because of the

social programs that provide them with the resources needed
to survive
The upper-middle and upper classes are largely secular and
are highly critical of the clerics
Many middle-class people have not fared well economically
and blame the republic for their ills

Reformers v conservatives
A fundamental cleavage in Iranian political culture stems
from the debate between theocracy and democracy
The conservatives support a government based on the
teachings of the clerics and sharia law
Reformers would like to see more secularization and
democracy
Even with this, reformers do not want to completely remove the
basic principles of an Islamic state

 Pragmatic conservatives v radical clerics

Cleavages

Pragmatic conservatives are clergy that favor liberal

economic policies that encourage foreign trade, free
markets, and direct foreign investment
Conservatives argue that private property and
economic inequality are protected under Islamic law
They are generally willing to turn over economic
management to liberal technocrats

Radicals call for measures to enhance social justice,

especially in terms of welfare
Radicals generally endorse state-sponsored wealth
redistribution

 Under the rule of the Pahlavi shahs, the government

intruded in the private lives of citizens

Civil Society

Civil society was greatly controlled until Muhammad

Khatami (1997-2005) took office
The Tehran spring was a cautious movement toward
political liberalization that centered on a increased
freedom of speech and press, a more open economy,
and a friendlier stance towards the outside world
Due to limited power of the President, these were limited
reforms

Civil Society

When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became president, the

government closed down newspapers, banned and
censored books and websites, and no longer tolerated
the peaceful demonstrations and protests of the
Khatami era
Political activists were either silenced or arrested

The young, which now equal the elderly, are drawn to

western pop culture and political ideas
This has resulted in some women being arrested for
showing to much hair or for wearing makeup

 Despite civil rights and liberties being a part of the

1979 Constitution, Iran is not very protective of those
rights

Political
Participatio
n

Due process is often ignored

Demonstrations and public meetings have been banned
In the early 2000s protests dotted the country after the
universities were privatized, newspapers were closed,
prominent dissidents were arrested

While Ahmadinejads regime cracked down on

demonstrations, his re-election was met with large
demonstrations
The opposition to Ahmadinejad believed he had lost
and the military had to be deployed to end the
demonstrations

 Women traditionally stay at home and have very little

education or opportunity to work outside the home
This has changed some in the 20th century with access
to better education and some jobs
Today more than half of college students are women

Women and
the Political
System

The Islamic Republic calls the policy equality-withdifference

Divorce laws favor males

Women must wear scarves and long coats in public,

and cannot leave the country without the consent of
male relatives
Women must wear scarves and long coats in public and
they cannot leave the country without consent of male
relatives
Stoning's for adultery have also happened in the past