What is Islamic fundamentalism?

From a historical perspective, fundamentalism began only a few decades after Islam first appeared some 1400 years ago. In modern times and during the twentieth century, too, fundamentalist movements sprang up in different parts of the world as isolated, weak movements. But what is called Islamic fundamentalism today came to prominence with the rise to power of Khomeini in Iran in 1979 and began to have an impact on the Middle East and the world by relying on the resources of a state as large as Iran. So even though Islamic fundamentalism predates the mullahs’ regime, it never had the level of organization and scale of activity that it has had since Khomeini came to power.

Khomeini's brand of Islamic fundamentalism is based on Velayate Faqih, or clerical sovereignty. Khomeini first expounded this theory in his book Islamic Government. He wrote that "clerical guardianship is like having a guardian for a child. There is no difference between the guardian of a nation and guardian of a child as far as the guardian's responsibilities and duties are concerned."

The ideology espoused by Khomeini and his disciples regards gender as the most important line of demarcation in society. Regardless of historical and other differences between fascism and Islamic fundamentalism, the two share many common grounds: just as Hitler's Nazi ideology was based on racial supremacy, Khomeini's fundamentalist culture and ideology are based on gender apartheid and sexual discrimination.

If Islamic fundamentalists ceased one day to believe in the eternal supremacy and domination of men over women, they would lose their identity and could not have this regime. In their value system, everything from piety and charity to sins and punishment is based on the ideology of patriarchy and gender discrimination.

The fundamentalists are unable to comprehend mercy, liberty, and guidance of the individual and society towards moral and material progress. To fundamentalism, compassion, love, freedom, and progress are not absolute values; the tendency is toward brutality, vengeance, intolerance, ignorance, and superstition.

 In the views of true Moslems these qualities contradict the approach and practices of Islam. They believe that Muhammad continues to symbolize to his followers all the sublime qualities of a human being.

A. The Heartland of Fundamentalism

Iran enjoys a unique position in the world of Islam due to, among other factors, its strategic location, natural resources, and historical and cultural role in the development of the Islamic civilization. Thus, when the mullahs hijacked Iran’s 1979 revolution Iran quickly turned into the world capital of fundamentalists-similar to the relationship between Moscow and Marxism. More significant than money or arms, Tehran provided the fundamentalist currents with inspirational, political, regional, and international support.

Fundamentalist movements, which till then were mostly isolated and weak, became the clerical regime's arms for the export of terrorism and fundamentalism, and as such, the menacing phenomenon of terrorism became global. Attempts to separate terrorism from fundamentalism are dangerous or futile at best.

 During the 1980s and 1990s, at least 90 percent of the major terrorist attacks were linked either to Tehran as the epicenter of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism or to its surrogates and agents and movements that managed to thrive only under the light of Tehran's mullahs. Some of the terrorist attacks carried out either by Tehran or fundamentalists under its hegemony and influence are:

• The occupation of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and the taking of American hostages in 1979. This was, in fact, a clear declaration of war by this new phenomenon that effectively demonstrated its anti-West potential and hysteria
• Taking Westerners, especially Americans, hostage in Lebanon in the 1980s.
• The explosion of the U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon in 1983.
• The bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. The explosion of an Air France 747 passenger jet in Tehran's airport in 1983
• Several bombings in the streets of Paris in 1986, which caused many deaths and injuries among civilians
• The hanging of U.S. Colonel William Higgins, who worked for the United Nations, in Lebanon.
• The shipment of 51 packages of explosives to Saudi Arabia (which were discovered before detonation) in 1986 in order to kill many pilgrims. The massacre of more than 400 pilgrims to Mecca in 1987
• The bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires.
• The killing of antifundamentalist intellectuals and authors in Turkey. . The decree to kill Salman Rushdie.
• The killings of many Iranian dissidents in Germany, Switzerland, France, Sweden, Italy, Turkey, Pakistan, and United Arab Emirates.

These terrorist attacks, which have left thousands of casualties behind throughout the world, are just a small fraction of the bloody record of the mullahs ruling Iran.

 B. Iran – a prototype

The doctrine of Vellayat Faghieh (the rule of the jurist) was first published by Khomeini in 1960s. After assuming power in 1979 he completed this doctrine as “Vellayate Motlaghe Faghieh” (the absolute rule of the Cleric).

The premise is that the “Vali” (the guardian) is the heir to the prophet of Islam. He has absolute power over every aspect of all people’s lives.

For the first time this concept, which is even more comprehensive in the absoluteness of holding of power than the Caliphe model put forward by Sunni fundamentalists, has been institutionalized and incorporated in to the state constitution of a country.

This makes Iran the first prototype of “Islamic fundamentalism” for nearly 750 years. On Khomeini’s instruction Ahmad Azari-Qomi a senior conservative cleric, defined the extent of this absolute rule in a series of editorials published in Resalat newspaper on 14 august 1988:

“The Velayat-e-faghih means absolute and legal guardianship of the people by the faqih. This applies to the entire world and all that exists in it whether earthbound or flying creatures, inanimate objects, plants, animals, and anything in anyway related to human life, human affairs, belongings and assets. It also applies to God’s religion whether the primary and secondary commandments, worship, politics, social or family affairs.”

This absolute power identifies the first pillar on which fundamentalism stands, translating in to absolute authoritarian rule, resulting into terror and repression, specifically for women. Extreme barbarity and misogyny are the two legs of the fundamentalists’ internal policy.