A GLIMMER OF HOPE

A GLIMMER OF HOPE

When the infallible supreme leader opened the ballot box.

In Greek mythology when Pandora’s Box was ultimately opened, all of the evils, ills and diseases that beset mankind for ever, escaped from the box, leaving only hope within. This definitely should not have been done.

In the context of theocratic regime such as the Islamic regime in Iran, the country is governed by divine guidance or by the individual (supreme leader) who is regarded as divinely guided. In this ideology the divine power via one individual governs the state and replaces or dominates the civil government. This individual is pure, impeccable and faultless. He enjoys an immaculate reputation given by god. The theocratic regime achieves and gains its authority at the expense of personal belief. This is the kind of regime which is able to manipulate the poor, religious and people at the grass roots level. There are, however, grave repercussions for both the politics which is affected by the religion (a) and vice versa (b).

a) Politicians, like the president of Iran, with only the religious driving force behind them have the best interest of the divine leader in their mind and consequently in their policy. However, there is always a conflict of interest between the supreme leader’s will and people’s desire. One should not be under any illusion about who is going to win this battle of ideas. This scenario becomes even more bewildering when the theocratic regime associates itself with democracy because in democracy, it is the majority of people who choose the whole hierarchy of the establishment and there is no sign of unelected individuals. In fact, democracy and theocracy are two separate theories in the political science and a combination of these is a recipe for disaster.

b) In a theocratic system, there is no distinguishing line between the state law and the religious one. Therefore, government’s opponents do not only find themselves against the political system but also accused of being opposed to God. It is generally accepted that God is merciful and compassionate whereas the theocratic system for its political constraints applies brutal force to eliminate any kind of opposition. This contradiction between gracious God on one hand and the way the theocratic regime treats its opponents on the other hand raises so many questions among people with strong faith in God and it simply undermines people’s belief in the principles of the religion.

The present situation in Iran and its disputed presidential election and the consequent unrest clearly exemplifies this. On one hand, the word of the supreme leader as the divine ruler and his verification of the results of the election must not be challenged by anyone. On the other hand people who dare to defy the supreme leader are confronted by the most belligerent armed forces that are not only defending the establishment but also have the divine mandate to guard the religion. The younger generation who are witnessing these events find themselves under enormous pressure which makes them even more determined to bring about fundamental changes.

This is not the end, this is only the beginning. Pandora’s Box was opened and there is only one good thing remains inside. This one good thing exhorts people in the streets to fight the good fight for their freedom.


Shahin M