Iranian Shia clerics and opposition to innovation

Shia clerics and opposition to innovation In the course of Iran's transition from a traditional society to a modern one the introduction of technologies. new administrative institutions and modern cultural phenomena encountered various reactions. Historical and scholarly sources have reported that at different periods clerics adopted critical or oppositional positions toward some of these developments.

Identity cards and civil registration

Following the establishment of the Civil Registration Organization and the issuance of identity cards in Iran during the reign of Reza Shah Pahlavi, some clerics expressed doubts AbOUT the official registration of births, surnames, and people's ages. Reports indicate that these objections were largely rooted in distrust of the modern state and changes to traditional mechanisms of personal identity.

Vaccination and quarantine

From the Qajar period onward, when vaccination and quarantine became known as measures for preventing infectious diseases, groups of clerics and religious students were reportedly opposed to public vaccination programs and the quarantine of patients with contagious diseases. According to some historical writings, these objections were sometimes accompanied by appeals to reliance on God, divine will, or opposition to the scientific methods of the time. In some accounts, vaccines were claimed to introduce jinn into the human body, while during the Islamic Republic period they were sometimes described as containing nanorobots intended to control the population. Such views ultimately failed to prevent the expansion of modern medicine.

In 1264 AH, the first government vaccination program in Iran was initiated on the orders of Amir Kabir. Under the program, Iranian children and adolescents were vaccinated against smallpox. However, a few days after the vaccination campaign began, Amir Kabir was informed that people, out of ignorance, were unwilling to be vaccinated. In particular, several fortune-tellers and writers of amulets in the city had spread rumors that vaccination would cause jinn to enter the human bloodstream. When Amir Kabir learned that five people had died from smallpox, he immediately ordered that anyone who refused to be vaccinated would have to pay a fine of five tomans to the government treasury. He believed that this order would persuade everyone to undergo vaccination. However, the influence of the amulet writers and the lack of public knowledge were greater than his ability to enforce the order.

Piped water and showers

The replacement of traditional khazineh bathing facilities with piped water and shower baths was opposed by some religious scholars, who questioned the ritual purity of the water supplied through these systems.

Modern education

In the late Qajar period and the early period of the reign of Reza Shah, some clerics opposed the expansion of modern education in Iran. Historical sources indicate that religious scholars were concerned that secular education would weaken religious values and remove control over education from the religious establishment. In some cases, opposition resulted in attacks on schools or threats against their founders, and some religious scholars even issued fatwas against modern schools. Historical studies have also noted that some religious scholars opposed the expansion of elementary schools because of concerns about the decline of traditional maktabs.

Girls' schools

During the early years of the Constitutional Revolution, there were reports of opposition by some clerics to the establishment of girls' schools. According to these reports, some religious scholars regarded the movement as contrary to traditional interpretations of women's roles in society. When the first girls' elementary school, named Dooshizgan, was established by Bibi Khanoom Astarabadi, clerics opposed it and called for its destruction, considering women's education contrary to Islam. Among them was Sheikh Fazlollah Nouri, a cleric during the Constitutional Revolution, who reportedly issued a fatwa stating that "the establishment of girls' schools is contrary to Islamic law.

Telegraph

The introduction of the telegraph during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah was met with suspicion by some clerics. who regarded it as an instrument of foreign influence. Reliable historical sources do not however, document organized or religious legal opposition by the clergy to the telegraph technology itself.

Trains and railways

The construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway during the reign of Reza Shah encountered opposition from traditional forces. including some clerics, who regarded it as a threat to existing social or economic structures.

Bicycle

In the early 14th century of the Solar Hijri calendar, bicycles were described by some clerics as the "vehicle of Satan." There were instances of formal religious opposition and purported fatwas by clerics, although most of the initial negative reactions to bicycles were cultural and customary in nature and were also found among segments of the wider population. The bicycle was gradually accepted as an ordinary means of transportation.

Radio

With the beginning of radio broadcasting, some clerics regarded radio as a means of spreading Western culture or weakening religious values.

Music

Music was the subject of fatwas and religious legal objections by some religious authorities during different periods and was sometimes classified as a form of lahw wa la'ib (diversion and amusement). Ruhollah Khomeini later discussed the concept of ghināʾ, ruling that music classified as ghināʾ was forbidden while other forms were permissible.

Women's suffrage

During Iran's political developments in the mid 20th century groups of clerics expressed opposition to granting women the right to vote. One example was the "Nine Signatory Declaration" issued by religious scholars in response to the introduction of women's suffrage, which expressed concerns about the social consequences of women's political participation.

Dress and cultural symbols

During the Pahlavi period, particularly following the implementation of the unveiling policy in 1936, the policy of compulsory unveiling encountered widespread opposition from clerics and religious segments of society. The opposition contributed to street protests, including the Goharshad Mosque rebellion. These objections formed part of the broader conflict between the central government and traditional religious forces over cultural change and norms concerning dress.

Compulsory hijab in Iran

In the years following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, extensive debates also took place concerning mandatory hijab laws and the role of women in society. At certain points, these debates led to large-scale social protests by women's rights advocates, including the 8 March 1979 protests in Tehran, which took place in response to policies concerning hijab.

Chess

The game of chess was declared forbidden by some religious authorities and clerics. In his book Gonāhān e Kabireh (The Major Sins), Dastgheib reportedly compared watching two people play chess to looking at an extremely obscene part of his mother. Ruhollah Khomeini, after becoming Supreme Leader of Iran, issued a ruling permitting chess.

White Revolution

During the 1960s, the program known as the White Revolution introduced a series of political and social reforms in Iran, including land reform and the extension of voting rights to women. Some Shiite clerics and religious authorities opposed or criticized these reforms, particularly measures concerning land redistribution and women's suffrage. The opposition was led by prominent religious figures, including Ruhollah Khomeini, and contributed to the religiously inspired protests of June 1963.

Daylight saving time

During the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran introduced seasonal changes to the official time, following contemporary scientific considerations and practices in developed countries. The measure was intended to make more efficient use of daylight and reduce energy consumption. The clocks were adjusted during the autumn and winter and subsequently returned to the previous time during the spring and summer. Some clerics, including religious authorities, opposed the measure. According to contemporary accounts, some opponents claimed that the Shah's policy would cause people's prayers to be invalid. A stated religious objection was that moving the clocks forward or backward could cause confusion about the timing of certain religious obligations and Islamic prayer times.

The issue continued to be debated after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. In 2007, when the seasonal change of the official time was implemented again, "a number of clerics" reportedly opposed the measure, arguing that it could cause confusion regarding religious times.

According to accounts of the period, Ruhollah Khomeini had opposed the seasonal change of the official time before the 1979 Revolution. Nevertheless, daylight saving time was reintroduced after the Revolution. In 1979, it was implemented from 25 May to 21 September, and in 1980 from 20 March until the end of September, with the official time set at four and a half hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. The practice was subsequently suspended.