Vanessa Martin

Religion and state in Khumainī's Kashf al-asrār

Āyatullāh Ruhullāh Khumainīs first major political work, Kashf al-asrār (The revealing of secrets), was published in about 1943, its purpose being according to the author, to repudiate attacks upon the ‘ ulamā ’ by writers in the press and printed leaflets during the Riḍā Shāh period, and to rectify the misconceptions that had arisen among the public as a result of the dissemination of these views. It would seem that the book, however, was primarily a refutation of one work, Asrār-i hizār sāla by ‘Alț Akbār Ḥakamțzāda, also published in 1943. Ḥakamțzāda accused the ‘ ulamā ’ of encouraging superstitious practice amongst their following in order to perpetuate their own power, and cited as examples belief in the intercession of the Prophet and his descendants, designated as shirk , and non-recognition of the legitimacy of the temporal power.

Islamist radicalism in the provinces of Iran 1906–9: a stage in the development of Islamism

ABSTRACT Islamist radicalism emerged in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1906–9. This article examines the early stages of its emergence with particular reference to the provinces of Iran. It looks at the subject thematically and traces the development of an Islamist notion of the state, characterized by Islamic law, and the shaping of new views on nationalism, absolutism and the economy. Increasingly politicized ordinary people also influenced ideological change. The article begins by establishing the background and influence of individuals and groups who played a leading role in developing an Islamist radical political perspective and identity. It then discusses their vision for an alternative state in terms of the authority to govern, its institutions and its laws and considers their methods of organization and propagation to oppose the existing system, and their attempts to change it. Since the article is intended primarily for those interested in the history of Islamism, it ends by evaluating the stage it had reached in 1909.

Foreign Land Holdings in Iran 1828 to 1911

The issue of the purchase of land in one country, in this case Iran, by other countries, in this case Britain and Russia, is one of great significance because of light it may throw on the strength or weakness of national sovereignty, and the ways and degree to which it may be undermined. It can also show the strategies deployed by the country challenged to protect its territorial integrity, as here in the case of Iran. The intricacies of foreign landownership patterns thus have implications for international relations, on which they can provide telling detail in terms of contemporary power politics. The details of land purchase also demonstrate considerable differences as between the two outside powers involved in terms of their objectives in Iran, and thus challenge a tendency in the literature to see them as similar.

Murder in Bushehr in 1844: The Case of Bibi Asilu

Abstract This article discusses an honour killing in Bushehr in 1844. It seeks to demonstrate that one of the problems of modernising legal reform is that it is very difficult to reform one aspect of the law without changing the whole. In other words, following Monstequieu, the whole spirit of the age must change. The article further demonstrates the flexibility of the shariʿa both with regard to local custom and to seeking the benefit both of the community and of a particular individual, but illustrates its incompatibility with British law on the subject of evidence.

C. Reviews: general

THE HISTORY OF AL‐TABARI. VOL. III: THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Translated by WILLIAM M. BRINNER. Albany, N.Y., SUNY Press, 1991. xii, 194 pp.

Creating an Islamic State: Khomeini and the Making of a New Iran

44.00 (hb),

Islam and modernism : the Iranian revolution of 1906

14.95 (pb). THE HISTORY OF AL‐TABARI. VOL. XXXIII: STORM AND STRESS ALONG THE NORTHERN FRONTIERS OF THE ‘ABBASID CALIPHATE. Translated by C.E. BOSWORTH. Albany, N.Y., SUNY Press, 1991. xix, 239 pp.

Women, religion and culture in Iran

57.50 (hb),

Iran's constitutional revolution : popular politics, cultural transformations and transnational connections

18.95 (pb). THE AWAKENING OF PERSIA: THE REIGN OF NASR AL‐DIN SHAH 1848–1896. By A.J. ABRAHAM. USA, Vande Vere Publishing, 1992. 64pp.

The role of the karguzar in the foreign relations of state and society of iran from the mid-nineteenth century to 1921. Part 1: Diplomatic relations

18.95. THE EMERGENCE OF KURDISH NATIONALISM AND THE SHAIKH SAID REBELLION, 1880–1925. By ROBERT OLSON. Austin, University of Texas Press, 1992. THE ARAB BUREAU: BRITISH POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, 1916–1920. By BRUCE WESTRATE. University Park, PA, Pennsylvania State University Press, 1992. xvi, 240 pp.