The remarks on the contemporary history of Iran

Author: Nowruz Akbari Zadegan
Source: The remarks on the contemporary history of Iran
Westernized Idealisms

1- Mirza Fath-Ali Akhundzade (95/1327/1812-1878):

He was the prime Muslim who stated the anti-Islamic aspects of a democratic constitution in an apparent and clear mode. Akhundzade was a secularist (anti-religion) determined and pure and a strict enthusiast of western civilization on the earth, his thesis was on constitutionalism that the people themselves with the help of revolution bring it to foam not only that it originates from the modernist leaders…..He in 1863/1280 lunar year considering the regime of Naser al-Din Shah in one of his writing addressing Iranians wrote: ``O Iranians if you could explore the benefits of freedom and human rights you would never accept the servitude and reverence, you would conduct the studies and would institute the crypt councils and would get united with one another in order to free yourself from the dictatorship of the tyrants…… Akhundzade desired to form masonry in Iran and considered this task as the freedom paraphernalia and freedom and liberalization….. (1)…. Akhundzade believed in the nation’s sovereignty and mentions that……``Kingship is stable on the basis of that law that is the medium of the national parliament should be configured which is composed of the two assemblies of the senate and council and this is the king that endorse the approved enactments of the parliament without taking a step against it…..And in the case of the concept of nation and nationalist, he says: that individual is a patriot who sacrifices himself for the country and the nation in order to achieve the freedom…..He adds that period is gone in which a person would sacrifice his life for the religion (2)…… this point also should not be unsaid that Akhundzade only had opposed the ruling system in Iran, but had praises for the Tsardom government of Russia and he himself was willing to serve and was loyal to it. …(3)

2- Mohammad Hassan Khan Sinki (Mojadolmalek) idealism from the governing system (1224 – 1809/ 80-98):

He was affiliated to court and Qajar system and had important posts among his posts was Iran consulate in the Astrakhan of Russia and for conduction of diplomatic negotiations was delegated to the Turkish of Turkey. The popular book of Mojadolmalek was entitled ``Discovery of Aliens’’, in this book he violently criticized the politics and the systems governing Iran and predicts a very bad outcome and complications for it. Haeri in the analysis of his book writers: ``Mojadolmalek in the entire book has provided a special stress on the issue of government law that did not exist in Iran and has accounted this dearth and defect as the sole reason for the entire inequality and deprivations of Iran. He accuses the religious leaders in this field because he believes that not only they struggled with the immoral system of the country, but also did not covered masses under an appropriate leadership’’…..He writes:…..``the only solution of the chaotic of the Qajar era in the viewpoint of Mojadolmalek is the foundation of a big assembly that the assembly members of it should be ``intelligent and zealous’’ and believed that the outcome of this assembly, is the discipline and improvement of the state.’’ (4)

3- Mirza Hossein Khan Sepahsalar Azam (1249-1826/81-99):

He as the western diplomatic had a great influence on the expansion of the constitutionalist idealism in Iran….His education was in France and possessed many posts that includes the Iranian Consulate in Bombay coincident with the heads of Amir Kabir, the Iranian consulate in the Tbilisi and the ambassador of Iran in Istanbul. He in the lunar year 1288/ 1871 became the chancellor of Iran……Sepahsalar in his correspondences with the court and the Foreign Ministry of Iran has strongly supported the Turkish renovations that occurred in the interval of his cease in Istanbul……finally Sepahsalar became the prime minister and in the interval of his services initiated some renovations. In 1289 he founded a cabinet known as the ``court of highness’’ and a consultative assembly that had 9 home offices in which the laws were approved (5).

4- Mostashar al-Dowleh or Yousuf Khan Mostashar al-Dowleh Tabrizi (Death lunar year 1312/ 1895):

His book ``One word means Law’’, he was one of the high based workers of the foreign ministry and assisted a lot in the expansion of the constitutional idealism in Iran. Mostashar al-Dowleh Tabrizi as the Iran consulate amidst the latest assignment went four times to London. Initially, Mostashar al-Dowleh was influenced by the progressions of Russia and wished that Iran will one day reach that stage of progression. Mostashar al-Dowleh with much enthusiasm was asking himself that what is the reason for all this unbelievable progressions? And eventually will reach this outcome that the secrecy of the growth and advancement of these countries lies in one word i.e. `law’…..He mentioned that the new regulations can be obtained in the Islam….book, `one word’’ is an interpretation of the prime constitution of France…..He from one side was flaunting as an earnest friend and supporter of the constitution of France and on the other hand was striving to find equalities between the France law and Islamic law, with the narrations of the promises of from the anecdote and Quran, as a result this discussion is an admixture of the related issues to the western constitutional systems that was earnestly following them and from the inappropriate imaginations, wrong explanations, the un-based comparisons and disproportionate reconciliation – joints…….(3)

5- Mirza Malkam Khan Nazem al-Dowleh the founder of masonry in Iran (his book was the bureau of regulations):

he played an impressive role in the expansion of constitutional theory in Iran. Malkam spent 9 years studying in Paris and in return to Iran, became a polytechnic institution translator. In the lunar year 1275 when Jafar Khan Mashir al-Dowleh Tarbrizi constructed his prime government cabinet in European style, Malek Khan wrote his popular treatise in the peripheral of a branch of amendments in the entire country addressing it to Mashir al-Dowleh…..Malkam made the masonry the founder of his two political activities which led to his exile to the Turkish in 1280 later he became the adviser of Iran ambassador (Hussein Sepahsalar) (5). In the year 1288, after return to Iran and adviser Sepahsalar became the chancellor and later the empowered secretary of Iran in London and was promoted to the post of the major ambassadorship of Iran in London. He in 1306 due to the involvement in the issue of lottery privilege made Nasser al-Din Shah furious and was ruled out from ambassadorship. Deposal of Malkam Khan caused his enmity with the Shah and the foundation of a newspaper named Law in 1307 that was published for many years (6). Malkam Khan was an earnest supporter of the western values expansion in Iran and was supportive of the investment in the European colonization countries in this country. He considered the solution to the Iran difficulties more than anything to the regime foundation that was established based on the law……the encounter of Malkam to the constitution issue was like an encounter of ``Mosteshar al-Dowleh’’ and both desired to apparently make friendship of Islam with constitution in a western manner……He from one hand was saying that the language led to the national unity and the scholars and clergymen practising religious jurisprudence should follow the regulations of science ministry and on the other hand with delight was admiring the religion and was giving the scholars and clergymen practising religious jurisprudence importance and a special post in the country affair and was explicitly expressing that the new system does not have benefits with Islam and Islamic law is the most exhaustive laws of the world….(7) Professor Hamid Algar writes that: ``for acquisition of the incoherence reason (i.e. there are antithesis in the expressions of Malkam) we have not to go farther if his final ambition is the procurement of the European civilization without the occupation of Iranians the aim that its realization in a manner was effective was intervening the scholars and in order to access it necessitates the coordination of the scholars.. (8).

6- Abdul’Rahim Talibov (1250-1330 / 1834-1991) a distinctive merchant:

his effect was: ``Ahmad – Masalek’ol-Moh’senin’’ (The ways of the Charitable): Talibov was born in Tabriz and at 17 years of age went to Tiflis (Tbilisi) ….although he lived for over a half millennium in Russia and his thinking had been regulated but he had never forgotten his Iranian identity …..as he wrote in the book Masalek’ol-Moh’senin page 175: I love the beginning of the world then Iran and after that the pure soil of Tabriz….(9) Talibov in his writing had named idealisms such as the Jean Jacques Rousseau, Ernest Renan, Voltaire, Bentham, and other liberal rulers related to the Bourgeoisie ….Talibov in his writings had worshipped the positive aspects of new-loving especially the constitutional doctrines of western type. He spoke about the motherland and nation and government on the foundation of new concepts of those words. Talibov in his effects had divided freedom to 6 types: the freedom of identity or individuality, freedom of beliefs, freedom of promise (speech), freedom of the press, freedom of commonweal, freedom of selection. Talibov has divided the political regimes into three types as follows:
1. The absolute dictatorial government wherein the ministers are merely responsible to the shah and are of two types: A- The government that is built by law and governed by shah without considering the masses. B- The government that is utterly reliant to the individual votes and is devoid of law.
2. The ottoman constitutional regime with bicameralism system
3. The republican regime selected via masses (10). Talibov had a special attention to the law, is inclined to the meaning of the law and creator of the law and in general considers the law in two types: material and immaterial. The immaterial laws is that the messengers of God through revelation bring them, the material law, for an example the political and civic law is that through the intellectuals and the scientists the country is built and considers the rights and benefits of the people. These two types of the law are required for the use of the people (11).
Talibov in his book ``Masayel Al-Hayat’’ (the collection of effects) in page 209 mentions that: ``what is against the civilization in our noble divine law that will be the basis of the Iran law, is prohibited and eternity is unlawful.’’ Each Muslim or writer of these lines whose heart and language is not destination of this reverence is an unbeliever and the person who does not know the law as the supplement of the divine law and does not consider an observer on the execution of duties the divine law is even not a Muslim…..Talibov in the admiration of the constitutional regime and the people of Britain strives to adopt the most appropriate words of his culture….. (12).
References
1. R. K. Haeri, Shiite and constitutionalism, Tehran Amir Kobra 1364, Vol. II, pp. 27 and even refer to the Fereydoun Humanity – the imaginations of Mirza Fath Ali Akhundzade, Tehran 1349.
2. The previous source, pp 28.
3. The previous source, pp 29.
4. Haeri, the same source, pp. 30.
5. Same, refer to the page 30 onwards.
6. Haeri, the same source, pp. 32 – 35.
7. Haeri, the same source, pp. 34.
8. Zakir Hussian, Abdul Rahim, The Iran political press in the constitutional era, Tehran University 68, pp. 36-37.
9. The same source, pp. 42.
10. Hamid Algar, The role of spirituality forerunner in the constitutional movement, translated by Abul Qasim Seri, Tous publications, Vol. II, pp. 264.
11. Haeri, the same source, pp. 47.
12. Zakir Hussian, Abdul Rahim, the same source, pp. 37-39.
13. Haeri, Shiite and constitutionalism, pp. 50 as narrated from the Book of Ahmad, Vol. II, pp. 126.
14. Haeri, Shiite and constitutionalism, pp. 50, 51, 52.