Applicability of secularism in Islam : a case study of Iran

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Iran is an Islamic state since the 1979 Islamic revolution.In order to understand contemporary Iran’s political situation we need to examine three basic questions. First, what are the factors contributing to the formation of Iran’s political regime? Second, how has the religious composition fluctuated throughout the history of Iran? Third, which type of secularism do we mean by suggesting a secular system and why? This dissertation examines these challenges by reviewing Iran’s political regime during various dynasties and analyzing religious thoughts in Iran before and after Islamicization. The study then tries to examine the applicability of secularism in Iran’s regime by reviewing the history of Iran’s political practice before and after the Islamic revolution in 1979. Though an analysis of the varying aspects of secularism’s feasibility in the Middle East in general and in Iran in particular, the study also assesses the arguments on regime change made by several critics whose focus is secular application.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• I. Definition and Theories of Secularism
• Tolerance
• Equity
• Principal Concerns on Secularism
• Secularization of Islam
• Islamic Democracy
• Conclusion
• II. Secularism in Islam
• Secularism in the Middle East
• Secularization and Challenge of Modern Islamism
• Feldman and Faith on Political Islam
• Conclusion
• III. Is Secularism Compatible with Islam?
• Islam and Its Coexistence with Other Religions
• Modern Islamic Reformation
• The Influence of Modernism in America
• Secularization of Islam
• Islamic Democracy
• Mertits and Demerits of Secularism
• Democratization in Islam
• The Arguments on Democratic Islam
• Conclusion
• IV. Secularism in Iran
• Tolerance and Secularism in Iran
• Religious Thought in Iran
• Freedom of Religion
• The Cyrus the Great Cylinder, the Symbol of Tolerance
• Zoroastrianism
• Mazdakism, a Persian Theory of Communism
• Islam
• Digesting the History
• Shariati on Religion
• Secularism after the Revolution
• Historicizing of the Quran
• Justice as eternal commandment
• In the tradition of Islamic mysticism
• General human rights in the Islamic sense
• Conclusion
• V. The Case of Turkey as an Example of Secular Democracy
• The Concept of Secularism in Turkey
• The Role of Religion in Turkey’s History
• Church and State in Turkey
• Conclusion
• VI. Iran’s Regime Change
• American Version of Regime Change
• Secular Green Movement
• A Declaration by the Secular Supporters of the Iranian Green Movement
• Suggestions by Amil Imani for Iranian Green Movement
• Forwarding Secular Green Movement of Iran
• Suggest Solutions by Various Theorists
• Thoughts on America’s Support after the Election 2009
• Secularism as a Moderate Solution
• Modood Arguments Based on State and Religion
• Secularism as an Absolute Solution
• VII. Conclusion and Implication
• Bibliography