2008/12/01 by Shahrough Akhavi · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Authoritarianism #Democracy #Doctrine #Islamic Studies and History #Law #Mandate #Political science #Politics #Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East #Regret #Turkey's Politics and Society
paper · doi:10.1080/00210860802518301
openalex publication_date 2008/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Ayatollah Montazeri was a Khomeinist who came to regret being Khomeini's unabashed protegé. Though he has never abandoned the doctrine of velayat-e faqih, he has sought to reconceptualize it by furnishing it with democratic principles. In this, he has not been credible, although he has managed to portray himself as a reformer among some Iranian activists who themselves have credible reformist credentials, such as Akbar Ganji. But other reformists believe that the principles of the mandate of the jurist permit authoritarian abuses. And those among them who seek a mujtahid's support for overthrowing that doctrine would prefer to turn to the writings of Ayatollah Dr. Mehdi Ha'iri (d. 1999).