| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Ayatollah | a high-ranking Shiite religious leader who is regarded as an authority on religious law and its interpretation and has political power as well |
| Fatwa | a legal opinion, decree or ruling issued by a recognized Muslim authority |
| Theocracy | a political unit governed by a deity |
| Majles | the Iranian parliament, the national legislative body on Iran |
| Guardian Council | an appointed and constitutionally mandated 12-member clerical council that wields considerable influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran |
| Leader | The chief cleric of Iran. He wields enormous power, including total control over the armed forces, over who can run for elections, the economy, etc. |
| Fundamentalism | a deep commitment to a belief in the infallibility and inerrancy of holy scriptures, absolute religious authority, and strict adherence to a set of basic principles, away from doctrinal aompromises with modern social and political life |
| Jurist's Guardianship | A doctrine allowing the senior clergy all-encompassing authority over the entire community, not just over widows, minors, and the mentally disabled |
| Pasdaran | militias composed of revolutionary guards |
| Hezbollahis | club wielding vigilantes known as "Partisans of God" |
| Rentier State | a country that obtains a hefty income by exporting raw materials or leasing out natural resources to foreign companies |
| Dual Society | A double sided society in which one facet is modern (headed by wealthier elites tied to oil states) and the other facet is traditional (composed of rural peasantry, the clerics, and the "bazaar" middle class) |
| Islamic Revolution | A resurgence of Islamic fundamentalism after decades of "Westernization" resulted in economic troubles for the country, and also societal boons such as more hospitals, schools, and libraries |
| Caliphs | Muhammad's "illegitimate" successors |
| Imams | a community leader who is not necessarily tied to religion, even though this is often the case. In a religious context, an Imam is a direct descendent of the spiritual power of Muhammad; Shi'i Muslims believe that Imams, rather than Caliphs, are spiritually supreme |
| OPEC | Organization of Petroleum Exprting Countries, an association which Iran is a part of. Iran wields much power in this organization |
| Expediency Council | a leader-appointed council that has the authority to resolve the differences in terms of legislation and rulings between the Guardian Council and the Majles. This council is extremely powerful in the Iranian infrastructure--second only to the Supreme Leader |
| Assembly of Religious Experts | this organization is a menifestation of the hold that Islam has on Iran. It is chaired by clerics with the equivalent of a masters degree in religion; A.R.E. reserves the right to dismiss a leader if he is incapable of filling his duties which are implied to be religious in context |
| Shari'a Law | Oppressive law instituted after the Islamic Revolution. Basic human liberties are denied as religious "sanctity" trumps universal human rights |
| Revolutionary Guard | a faction of Iran's military that is only controlled by the Leader and the clergy. The Guard is supposed to "protect Iran from internal enemies" and works at the whim of religious leaders |
| cleric | a member of the clergy of a religion holds very prominent roles in Iranian government and society |
| Society of the Militant Cleric | a left wing pro-reform political party |
| Mojahedin | technically anyone who partakes in jihad, but specifically refers to a Socialist Islamic group that advocated the overthrow of the current Iranian government to be replaced with a Socialist government |
| Iranian system of government | parliamentary, theocracy, leader is most powerful |
| Iranian executive | Leader, Expediency council, President |
| Powers of the Leader | can eliminate presidential candidates, nominate and remove chief judge, influence over all of government |
| Iranian legislature | Assembly of religious experts, Majles |
| Iranian Judiciary | Guardiancy Council |
| Political parties | Islamic Iran Participation Front, Islamic Labor Party, Servants of Reconstruction |
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