Iran Flashcards
When was modern Iran founded?
In 1501 by the Safavid Dynasty
What is the name of the current government in Iran?
Velayat-e Faqui (persion) or Wilayat al-Faquih (arabic). It means Guardianship of the Islamic Juris.
what can you question and what can you not question in Iran?
You can question the government, the Velayat-e Faqui, but you cannot question the regime, the Nezam.
Which different schools of Shi’ism fight for the monopoly of truth in Iran in the 19th century?
- Akhbari
- Shaykhism
-usuli
Which school of Shi’ism wins the monopoly of truth in Iran in the 19th century
Usuli
From which scool of Shi’ism do the Ayatollahs of Iran originate?
Usuli
Three important places in Shi’ism
Nayaf, Kerbala, Qom
Why is Nayaf a holy place?
This is where Ali died
Why is Kerbala a holy place?
Hussein, the second sun of Ali, dies here when he militarly confronts the Umayyad, Mu’awiya.
Who are the three first imams according to Shi’ism?
Ali, Hassan and Hussein
Who is Sayyid Ali ali-Sistani?
An Iranian born Ayatollah that lives in Nayaf. Does not have anything to do with the Velayat-e Faquih, but is very powerful. He wanted Iraq to have a democracy and released the order to fight back Daesh
Why did the US help kick out the democratically elected Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1950 and insert Reza Pahlavi?
He wanted to socialize the oil using the Scandinavian model
Was the Iranian revolution in 1978/79 religious?
No. It concerned getting rid of the Shah out as he was very isolated from reality and had security forces shooting at Iranians
How did the Ulama come to govern Iran after the Revolution?
It was better organised than a group of Marxists, liberalists etc that came together to create a constitution
Who are the Sepah?
The Revolutionary guard in Iran created by Khomeini as he did not trust the Iranian military
What does the Ansar-e Hezbollah mean?
Means the Helpers of Gods party and are the young members of the Basiji
What is the Nezam?
The regime
What is the relation between the young and old generation of Sepah/Basij?
The older generation is not able to talk to the younger more doctrinal Iranians that are less flexible
What is the origin of the Basij?
It was created in 1979 as a volunteer paramilitary group at order of Ayatollah Khomeini and consisted of young volunteers that wanted to fight in the Iran-Iraq war
How did Khamenei change policies regarding the Sepah?
He let them have a political role and to become the main contractor for rebuilding infrastructure after the Iran-Iraq war. This is how the Sepah turned into the wealthiest independent institution in the Islamic Republic
Where is the Basij focus directed today?
To fight a soft war against US and European culture
What do the black and white turbans symbolize?
The black turban shows that the person wearing it is a descendant of Muhammed. The white turban is just standard as this was the most common color worn by men in the Arabian Peninsula during Muhammad’s lifetime
Who is the Quds force?
It is one of the five branches of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards corps that is in charge of extraterrestrial operations. It specializes in unconventional warfare and military intelligence. It supports many non-state actors such as Hezbollah and Hamas
When did the Green movement start and what was it protesting?
It started in 2009 and protested the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to President
