Politics and Islam

Question 1

Legitimacy

Answer 1

Do things with the power of the state that will tangibly benefit the people, restriction on power, good governance, accountability

Question 2

Sovereignty

Answer 2

Exists when a given government can exert a claim to rule in a defined geographical space, make that claim stick and have that claim recognized by others

Question 3

Federalism

Answer 3

The Division of Power, method of limiting the power of the national government, powers of the nation and powers of the state, layer cake federalism and marble cake federalism

Question 4

Unitary System of Government

Answer 4

All power is at the national level, Japan, Israel, France

Question 5

Oligarchy

Answer 5

A small group of ruling elite having control of a country

Question 6

Fascism

Answer 6

The Nation is a living thing and has a destiny, must be great, which is essential for individual well being, is beset by enemies from without and within, who threaten its greatness, is being stolen from the people, threats from the state come from: racial groups, religious groups, ethnic groups, a single group is often the primary threat, one group is the “true” nation or superior to others, there are conspiracies against the state that must be exposed, fought and defeated, will mask as patriotism

Question 7

Presidential System

Answer 7

A form of government in which the president is the chief executive and is elected directly by the people

Question 8

Political Culture

Answer 8

Is the set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments, which give order and meaning to a political process and which provide the underlying assumptions and rules that govern behavior in the political system

Question 9

Liberal Democracy

Answer 9

Emphasizes the separation of powers, an independent judiciary, and a system of checks and balances between branches of government

Question 10

Authoritarian Regime

Answer 10

Authoritarian political systems posit NO utopian goals, do NOT wish to control every aspect of society or the economy, the primary purpose: to maintain the power of the ruler(s), governed by a single ruler or small group of elites,

Question 11

Power

Answer 11

The ability of A to get B to do something that B would otherwise not do, always uneven among states

Question 12

Nation

Answer 12

A distinct group of people sharing a common background who identify as one

Question 13

Nation-State

Answer 13

A place with a sovereign government and a population largely comprised by one dominant nation (national government)

Question 14

Magna Carta

Answer 14

The first document to put into writing the principle that the king and his government were not above the law, sought to prevent the king from exploiting his power, and placed limits of royal authority by establishing law as a power in itself

Question 15

Liberalism

Answer 15

A political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, right to private property and equality before the law

Question 16

Authority

Answer 16

Once a government has sovereignty, they must maintain authority, can command obedience of the people it governs

Question 17

Confederation

Answer 17

A permanent union of sovereign states for certain common purposes

Question 18

Parliamentary System

Answer 18

Democratic form of government in which the party with the greatest representation in the parliament forms the government, its leader becoming prime minister

Question 19

Totalitarian Regime

Answer 19

The creation of a new society, a utopia, no social differences will remain, independent authority/expertise cannot be tolerated (even from artists and scientists), individualism rejected in favor of some radical egalitarianism, individual rights against the collective disappear, normal human/political rights reinterpreted as rights to conform to the group, claims against the group are condemned as divisive: claims to material goods, claims to restricted human relationships, the community has a unique consciousness and solidarity of its own, at best individual conscience is an anti social deviation

Question 20

The Hidden Imam

Answer 20

Was put into a state of
occultation by God, vanished from the Earth and remained hidden from everyone else, will return to fight the enemies of Islam

Question 21

SAVAK

Answer 21

Secret police under the Shah

Question 22

The White Revolution

Answer 22

A program of social, political and economic, reform, modernization of the Iranian state, redistribution of wealth to the working class, contributed to economic and technological
advancement

Question 23

The Resurgence Party

Answer 23

Iran’s sole legal political party from 1975 until 1978, founded by the Shah, was created in response to international pressure to establish openness in the political life of Iran, was a facade for public relations abroad

Question 24

Revolution

Answer 24

A fundamental change in political organization, especially: the overthrow or renunciation of one government or ruler and the substitution of another by the governed

Question 25

Najaf

Answer 25

Major Shia city (Iraq), many Grand Ayatollah’s live there, burial place of Ali

Question 26

Constitution of 1906

Answer 26

Created a constitutional monarchy, Parliament (MAJLIS), Prime Minister and Cabinet-only pious Shiits could hold cabinet positions, Bill of Rights, Guardian Council-composed of top religious
clerics, vet every bill passed by Parliament, can veto bills that go against Sharia/Koran

Question 27

“Westoxication”

Answer 27

Describe the fascination with and dependence upon the West to the detriment of traditional, historical, and cultural ties to Islam and Islamic world

Question 28

Iran-Iraq War

Answer 28

Prolonged military conflict between Iran and Iraq during the 1980s, fighting was ended by a 1988 cease-fire, though the resumption of normal diplomatic relations and the withdrawal of troops did not take place until the signing of a formal peace agreement on August 16, 1990.

Question 29

the Farr

Answer 29

The mandate of Heaven, was given to Cyrus by Ahura Mazda, a mandate to spread the true faith

Question 30

Jurist Guardianship

Answer 30

Velayat-e Faqih, clerics should control the state because the Koran, Hadith, etc say that every good muslim should protect widows, orphans, the disabled, the poor (the oppressed). The Shah oppressed everyone in Iran, the clergy has a mandate to care for them (to govern them)

Question 31

Sharia

Answer 31

Islamic law based on the teachings of the Koran and Hadith

Question 32

Black Friday

Answer 32

Several people were killed and injured by Pahlavi military during a protest, was the turning point of the revolution where compromise was no longer on the table

Question 33

Cyrus the Great

Answer 33

“Khurvas”-like the sun. Ruled Persia from 600-529 BCE, built an empire that stretched from Iran all the way to Egypt and Greece, captured Babylon, freed the Jews from captivity in Babylon. Wherever his army went, he took Zoroastrian priests with him, made Zoroastrianism the religion of his state

Question 34

Concessions

Answer 34

A series of rights granted to one country on the soil of another. Iran had to give concessions to Russia and Britain for the continued use of money from their banks. Russians were exempt from Iranian law and Britain was allowed to prospect for oil

Question 35

Seyed

Answer 35

One who can trace their bloodline back to Mohammed, wear black turbans, have more ‘credit’