Sayyid Qutb in Iran: Translating the Islamist Ideologue in the Islamic Republic

Citation metadata

Author: Yusuf Unal
Date: Nov. 2016
From: Journal of Islamic and Muslim Studies(Vol. 1, Issue 2)
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Document Type: Article
Length: 11,686 words

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Abstract :

Although many studies have explored the dissemination of Sayyid Qutb's thought and the impact of his works on the formation of Islamist ideology in the Sunni world, little attention has been paid to the influence of Qutb on the Islamic revolution in Iran. This article argues that Sayyid Qutb was an influential figure among the Iranian revolutionaries and his ideas played an instrumental role in shaping the discourse of Islamism in pre-revolutionary Iran and the Islamic Republic. The article starts by exploring the personal and ideological connections between Sayyid Qutb and pre-revolutionary Iranian Islamists. Next, it examines how these connections led to an extensive translation movement that popularized Qutb's ideas in Iran. With this translation movement, all of Qutb's major works were rendered into Persian by prominent Islamists of the time, such as Iran's future supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. These works are still in print in the Islamic Republic of Iran today. Finally, the article discusses the legacy of Qutb in contemporary Iran, where his writings are being reinterpreted in the light of contemporary political developments, such as the rise of Salafi jihadism. Toward this end, a conference on Sayyid Qutb held in Tehran in 2015 attended by many prominent scholars and intellectuals. This conference is not only a good indicator of Qutb's continued importance in Iran but it also provides a view of the changes and continuities in the perception of Qutb in Iranian intellectual circles.

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Gale Document Number: GALE|A592340219