23 Hrs
Source:
النهار
Iran's Sacred Power Shift
The author argues that the Shah’s fall in 1979 was tied to the collapse of his image as a leader who promised achievement and prosperity. A broad coalition of opposition forces united against him, his legitimacy waned, and the absence of religious sanction made it possible to criticize him. By contrast, the system of *velayat-e faqih* derives its resilience from imbuing its leadership with religious sanctity, blending political loyalty with religious fear, as well as from a network of loyal security and economic institutions, including the Revolutionary Guard and the Basij. But the author warns that using religion to justify failures may erode trust in official religiosity and, over time, undermine the regime’s psychological and cultural bulwark.
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