foucault-and-the-iranian-revolution-janet-afary

Processions, Passion Plays, and Rites of Penance 61
Shi'ite Muslims remained passive and ignorant of political and ideological issues.
If Iranians could recapture the original revolutionary meaning of Shi'ite
Islam and the concept of the "idea ' l" Muslim man and woman, they could
overcome another Yazid (the shah) and bring about a society based on true
Muslim values. Shariati called his revolutionary interpretation ofShi'ism the
"Shi'ism of Ali," distinguishing this "Alavid Shi'ism" from the more conservative
"Safavid Shi'ism," the institutionalized Shi'ism in Iran dating back to
the Safavid dynasty. For Shariati, this "Alavid Shi'ism" was the "true" Islam,
one that did not build divisions "between intellectuals and the people" (cited
in Dabashi 1993, 1 11-12; see also Shariati 1986).
Shariti delivered one of his most moving lectures in 1 970, on the eve of
Ashura, at a time when several of his students, who were members of the Peopie's
Mujahedeen, had been killed by the shah's police. Shariati did not dwell
on themes commonly invoked in the sermons of the clerics, such as the murder
and enslavement of the women and children from Hussein's clan after the
battle of Karbala, the cruelty ofYazid, the treachery of Hussein's allies, or the
promise of paradise for the saintly clan of Muhammad and the true believers.
Instead, he emphasized almost exclusively Hussein's willingness to embrace
martyrdom. Conventional theologians had downplayed the significance of
this type of jihad in Islam. There were eight gates to heaven, and jihad was
only one of them-one that could be avoided. They told their followers:
You are not obligated to enter only through the door of jihad. Jihad is simply
one of the keys, which opens the doors to paradise, Prayer, other forms of
worship, and incantation are safer keys and you can use them without harm,
loss, danger, or risk! There are a lot of charitable affairs that will take you to
the same point, such as feeding the needy, looking after poor families, visiting
the holy places, praying, asceticism, piety, making vows, dedication, helping
your neighbor, incantation, prayer ceremonies, lamentation, and intercession.
You will reach the same goal as the person who chooses jihad, so why cause
yourself suffering and pain by choosing the much more difficult action of
jihad? (Shariati 1970, 183)
Shariati ridiculed such notions, as well as some of the practices of Muharram.
Paradise could not be bought so cheaply through prayer, fasting, and rituals!
Only through a continuous reenactment of the tragedy of Karbala could one
live the life of a genuine Muslim. This reenactment could not be achieved
by attending Ta'ziyeh performances or Muharram processions, nor was it an
intellectual or "mental jihad." It could only be achieved through embracing
personal martyrdom in the present day (173).