The Dreams of Ayatollah

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, spoke about the stages of achieving the goals of the Islamic Revolution, including a global model referred to as Islamic civilization, during a meeting with members of a council called the "Center for the Model of Islamic-Iranian Progress." He outlined five stages, identifying the third stage, which he claims is the current one, as the formation of an Islamic government, and the fifth stage as the realization of Islamic civilization. Reza Alijani, a political analyst residing in France, commented: "Mr. Khamenei speaks of five stages. But his statements are truly astonishing; does Mr. Khamenei not see the failures? All the previous officials of this system, who were supposed to shape the Islamic government, are now either imprisoned, ignorant, or traitors. The votes of the people that he considers a complete loss in the Assembly of Experts elections." Khamenei has attempted to clarify the five stages to reach "Islamic civilization," linking the realization of an "Islamic lifestyle" to the formation of an "Islamic society," which he claims has not yet been fully realized in Iran, even the prior stage of forming an "Islamic government." Taghi Rahmani, another analyst based in Paris, stated: "This policy cannot be reconciled with his behaviors and tactics, as building a government and civilization requires stability, which he has not sought in Iran or the world. Civilization-building also requires societal support and a cultural discourse, neither of which exist in Iran." The Islamic Republic is approaching the end of its fourth decade of establishment, a period marked by significant economic and social turmoil compared to the years before the revolution, according to available statistics. Nevertheless, Ayatollah Khamenei, who has been at the helm of the Islamic system for most of this time, still speaks of eliminating discrimination, poverty, and unemployment in the desired Islamic society, conditional upon realization. It seems that what he promises today is precisely the ideal society that a generation dreamed of achieving when they overthrew the previous regime in 1979; however, it is said that not only has that desired society not reached the mentioned ideals, but it has also become "further away." Reza Alijani remarked: "Mr. Khamenei, instead of correcting his theories, is pursuing his dreams. The government he supports for realizing the dream of an Islamic government was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government, which was the most corrupt in Iran's history... and this is the tragic end of all those who are authoritarian, disconnected from reality, and suffer from narcissism and self-obsession." Taghi Rahmani added that even realizing such a dream fundamentally contradicts traditional Shia theories: "The important issue is that these theories contradict Shia tradition. In other words, historically, Shia has never attempted to reach Islamic civilization through the establishment of a government. Even Shiites have always been in conflict with the ruling governments. On the one hand, Mr. Khamenei's idea requires tools that contradict the far-right policies he supports in Iran, and fundamentally a system that is itself plagued by structural corruption in all areas." Mr. Khamenei has for years expressed beliefs such as the establishment of Islamic civilization or a self-sufficient Islamic political system in his speeches. However, why has he chosen this time, which follows two significant elections in Iran where the supporters of the leadership faced relative and sometimes absolute defeats? This timing also seems to be closely related to the leader's health status and the general conditions of the Islamic system.