Montazeri

Abstract

By the time of his death in 2009, the Grand Ayatollah Montazeri was lauded as the spiritual leader of the Green movement in Iran. Since the 1960s, when he supported Ayatollah Khomeini's opposition to the Shah, Montazeri's life reflected the crucial political shifts within Iran. In this book, Sussan Siavoshi presents the historical context as well as Montazeri's own political and intellectual journey. Siavoshi highlights how Montazeri, originally a student of Khomeini became one of the key figures during the revolution of 1978–9. She furthermore analyses his subsequent writings, explaining how he went from trusted advisor to and nominated successor of Khomeini to an outspoken critic of the Islamic Republic. Examining Montazeri's political thought and practice as well as the historical context, Siavoshi's book is vital for those interested in post-revolutionary Iran and the phenomenon of political Islam.

Change from within: Shia Seminarians' Responses to Contemporary Religious and Social Challenges

“…In particular, Montazeri began to argue for revising the traditional established ruling on apostasy after two Iranian religious intellectuals, namely Hassan Yousefi-Eshkevari and Hashim Aqajari, were accused of apostasy. 62 According to Montazeri, if someone leaves the religion for the purpose of discovering the truth, and even criticises religious principles based on scientific discussions, that person is free to do so and should not face any punishment. 63 Montazeri argued that the classical Islamic rulings on apostasy are closely connected to the circumstances in which Islam was taking shape as a new religion.…”

Post-Islamism Redefined: Towards a politics of post-Islamism

“…77 The parties involved in the negotiation had ensured that Montazeri would not be informed of the talks lest he oppose direct engagement with the United States. 78 There was also another reason for keeping the affairs discreet and that was Montazeri's son-in-law's brother, Mehdi hashemi, and his involvement in foreign affairs and his particular influence in Lebanon. Shortly after the Revolution, Mehdi hashemi began supporting militant Islamic groups in the Muslim world under the banner of an organization called the 'Office for Islamic Liberation Movements. '…”

“…80 Mehdi hashemi was also among the early advocates of 'exporting the revolution' -that is, encouraging other countries, particularly those in the Muslim world, to emulate the Iranian revolutionary model -and made an effective presence in Lebanon and afghanistan. 81 Initially khomeini shared and in fact propagated the discourse pertaining to the export of the Revolution, but, in the face of international isolation and pressure from abroad, he took a softer measure pertaining to the idea of exporting the Revolution and sided with a 'more pragmatic policy […], and subsequently adopted an intermediate position between the radical faction and the proponents of a more cautious approach based on the interests of the State' and its foreign policy. 82 Rafsanjani, the emblem of the pragmatic approach, along with khomeini's son, ahmad , began to disdain hashemi's radicalism and growing influence in foreign policy and took measures to contain him.…”