Party of the Muslim People's Republic

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The Party of the Muslim People's Republic (MPRP) or Party of the Islamic People's Republic (IPRP) was a party initiated by the Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Kasem Schariatmadari in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution .

It differed from the Islamic Republican Party (IRP) initiated by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in that its political views were much more moderate and liberal. The party was banned in 1980 after Khomeini had largely prevailed with his political ideas.

Founding history

Party of the Muslim People's Republic (MPRP / IPRP) was founded in March 1979 by a group of merchants from the Tehran bazaar , bourgeois middle-class politicians and clergy who were close to the Grand Ayatollah Shariatmadari. In contrast to Khomeini, the MPRP / IPRP took the view that there should not be a single clergyman at the head of the state, but a collegial body of the Shiite clergy. She criticized Khomeini's autocratic leadership style and the radicalism of the Islamic revolutionary courts. The MPRP / IPRP agreed to cooperate with secular parties and called for unhindered access to state broadcasting for all parties. The MPRP / IPRP representatives were personally attacked by members of the IRP. The party's offices in Karaj , Arak , Saveh , Ardabil and Khalkhal were set on fire or smashed by IRP activists and Khomeini supporters.

Activities and repression

In November 1979, the MPRP / IPRP became the reservoir for opponents of the new constitution for an Islamic republic proposed by Khomeini's partisans, which was put to the vote in a referendum. Khomeini turned directly to Shariatmadari on December 6, 1979 and gave him an ultimatum.

In December 1979, members of the MPRP / IPRP held protest demonstrations in Tabriz . Protesters briefly occupied the Tabriz television station and broadcast their demands to the public. In Tabriz the opposition to Khomeini had established a powerful base to be able to take action against the further increase in power of the followers of Khomeini.

The regime responded with a carrot-and-stick policy. Pasdaran units recaptured the television station and brokers became active in Tabriz. Khomeini's sympathizers organized a powerful counter-demonstration. At this critical moment, Grand Ayatollah Shariatmadari hesitated to continue supporting the opposition movement, and resistance to Khomeini collapsed. In January 1980 Schariatmadari distanced himself from the MPRP / IPRP. After a violent clash between the supporters of Shariatmadaris and Khomeinis in Qom , Grand Ayatollah Shariatmadari was placed under house arrest.

Prohibition

Numerous members of the opposition movement were arrested.

The Islamic Republican Party (IRP) organized a massive propaganda campaign against the MPRP / IPRP calling for the party's dissolution. At the end of January 1980 the MPRP / IPRP ceased their political activity. A few months later, two party members were sentenced to death and executed in Tabriz for organizing demonstrations against the government.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Shaul Bakhash: The Reign of the Ayatollahs . New York, Basic Books, 1984, p. 90.
  2. ↑ Shaul Bakhash: The Reign of the Ayatollahs . New York, Basic Books, 1984, pp. 67f.
  3. ↑ Baqer Moin: Khomeini: Life of the Ayatollah . Thomas Dunne Books, 2001, p. 229.
  4. ↑ Baqer Moin: Khomeini: Life of the Ayatollah . Thomas Dunne Books, 2001, p. 231.
  5. ↑ a b c Shaul Bakhash: The Reign of the Ayatollahs . 1984, pp. 89f.
  6. ^ New York Times, January 10, 1980
  7. ↑ Baqer Moin: Khomeini , 2001, p. 232.
  8. ↑ Baqer Moin: Khomeini , 2001, p. 232
  9. ↑ Shaul Bakhash: The Reign of the Ayatollahs . New York, Basic Books, 1984, p. 111.