POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY OF SECT AND SECTARIANISM IN IRANIAN POLITICS: 1960-1979, THE

Journal of Third World Studies, Fall 2006 by Dorraj, Manochehr

INTRODUCTION

Sects have often been the subject of intense morbid feelings of hate and love in Iranian political history. They have been slandered and defamed by their opponents and exalted and glorified by their proponents. They have been depicted either as villains (Ashrar) or saints. While those who oppose them, having passed the guilty verdict, show no interest in intellectually grasping their enemies, the supporters, mesmerized by their beloved heroes, are no longer willing or capable of evaluating them critically. Saints are usually worshiped and not analyzed. This is not a statement to condone or condemn, for or against sects and sectarians. This is a critical examination of sect and sectarianism in Iranian political culture. Hence, the use of the term sect is not intended here in a denigrating or condescending manner. Rather, it is a sociological concept to understand a real and recurring phenomenon. More specifically, this is an attempt to provide some clues to such questions as what are the roots of intellectual intolerance, political absolutism, ideological dogmatism and the pervasiveness of a sectarian mentality and the politics of exclusion in Iranian society.

While numerous studies of Mojahedin-e Khalq and Fadayian-e Khalq have been undertaken by academics before,1 to the best of my knowledge, no one has studied them as sects so far. While much research has been done on ideological evolution and political history of these groups, none has shed light on their psychological allure and inner dynamics. This study.in contrast, provides a different insight into their populist appeal, modus operandi, evolution, resilience, and subsequential disintegration in the post-revolutionary era.

Religious as well as political sectarianism have figured prominently in Iranian political culture throughout history. The immediate roots of political sectarianism can be traced to religious strife. In Hinduism, which is marked by a diffused religious authority and decentralized institutional structure, sectarianism exists only in a limited sense. In stark contrast, the history of Islam and Christianity abound with examples of sectarianism. The centralization of religious authority and the proselytizing nature of the latter partially explain this disparity. Christianity in its incipient stages was a Jewish sect and Shi'ism, the state religion of Iran, has its roots in a schism in the pristine Islamic community. The emergence of chiliastic sectarian movements throughout the middle ages and the permeation of numerous sects inspired by various "political religions" in the modern history of Iran are manifestations of this line of continuity.

The persistence of sects and sectarianism in the modern Iranian politics is a socio-historical issue. Therefore, the first part of this paper delineates the sociological foundations and historical genealogy of sect and sectarianism. Then, through a case study of the two most prominent political sects of the 1960s and 1970s, namely Mojahedin-e Khalq and Fadayian-e Khalq, the paper analyzes the peculiarities of sectarianism in the post-Mossadeq era.

SOCIOLOGY OF secT AND secTARIANISM

Sects are exclusive communities that defy the environment in which they grow. sectarians, consciously or subconsciously, conceive of themselves as elite groups. Preoccupied with maintaining their moral purity, they separate themselves from the mainstream culture in the respective communities in which they live. Filled with feelings of moral superiority and messianism, they aspire to change the world and recreate it according to the principles of their faith. sectarians claim a unique access to truth and salvation and they present an alternative set of teachings, ideas, and moral conducts to the orthodox religions and the established socio-cultural order. In this sense, sects tend to be counter or counter-culture and put much emphasis on the re-education, indoctrination and moral refinement of their members. sects expect a complete and total allegiance of their recruits. Therefore, they demand a high degree of commitment from their members and the sectarian possess a strong sense of identity, an identity that is based on precluding and subordinating, all other loyalties to the ultimate loyalty, to the professed goals of the organization. Unlike castes or clans, sects are self-conscious entities, deliberately recruiting members and altering their states of consciousness. Ideological inspiration may be invoked by a charismatic leader or reinterpretation of sacred writings or a claim that "the light has finally found the truly faithful and has revealed its secret to them."2

As organic entities, sects have a life cycle of rise and demise. Stark draws a parallel between the decay of sects and the second law of thermodynamics: "objects which are hotter than their environment tend to give off heat to the environment until an equalization of temperatures is brought about."3 In other words, those who swim against the stream are bound to loose resistance and wear out. The original enthusiasm and the vibrant energy of the sect cannot be maintained over the long haul. A sect cannot live in constant feverish anticipation of the promised dawn. No army of devoted cadres can survive in a hostile environment forever. As the external popular support for the sect wanes, or as the historical events prove the grand success or the tragic failure of the sect, it loses its raison d'etre and begins to decay, degenerate or disappear. The result can be as follows: first, adjustment and denominalization within the present society; second, a series of splits and disintegration; and third, physical or psychological (internal) migration and transmutation.4 In many instances while the organization of the sect may disintegrate, sectarian attitudes and behavior will continue to persist over generations. In this sense, the sect will remain a sect and the member who is unable to cope with the outside world will continue to live the life of a sectarian.