As the days of Shiite mourning in the month of Muharram approach, the discussion of religious commitment and the abandonment of religion in Iranian society has surfaced in newspapers and even on programs broadcast by the Islamic Republic’s radio and television. All discussions on this topic come from individuals with religious inclinations, who lament this phenomenon and do not hide their concern that the Islamic Republic is responsible for such a situation. Several examples illustrate this:
Saeed Hajjarian, one of the founders of the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran and a theorist of the so-called reformist movement, stated in an interview with the newspaper “Etemad”: “Atheism is spreading in Iran.” Alireza Panahian, a hardline cleric and a speaker for Ali Khamenei, confirmed on the TV program “Mahe Man” that “the situation has become intolerable due to the widespread abandonment of religion in society.” Hamid Parsania, a member of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, acknowledged on Ali Khamenei’s official website: “Research shows that at no time has the state of religion and religiosity in Iran been in such decline.”
Sediqeh Vasmaghi, an Islamic scholar, explained to “Ensanews” that wherever religion is intertwined with political power, the result is the same. She stated, “Everyone who disagrees with the country’s policies will also develop ideological disagreements.” Abbas Abdi, a columnist for the newspaper “Etemad,” wrote that statistics and observations indicate a decline in mosque attendance, fasting, paying religious taxes, and naming children with religious names. He argued that those who cite the number of participants in Arbaeen ceremonies and trips to Mashhad and Jamkaran as evidence against this trend are only seeing the periphery and ignoring the more evident reality of declining religiosity on a societal scale in Iran.
The truth is that the Islamic regime in Iran is a failed project in various aspects, with its most conspicuous failure in the ideological realm. Despite 45 years of control over education and converting schools into centers for religious indoctrination and superstition, the result has been the opposite. Today, turning away from religion among the youth and teenagers has become a hallmark of the current social conditions in Iran. Half a million clerics, whose only job is to spread ignorance and corruption and promote Islamic prostitution through temporary marriage (sigheh), have not deepened religious beliefs but have instead intensified hatred for the regime and driven people further from religious beliefs.
However, it must be emphasized that the emancipation of workers and the oppressed from the bondage of religious beliefs in Iran is not a finished task, and there is still a long way to go. Enlightenment and scientific analysis of world issues, while necessary, will only be effective to a certain extent. The liberation of people from the bondage of these beliefs on a social scale will only be possible when the material conditions of human life change, and the natural and social forces that drive people to seek refuge in religion come under human control. In this context, the demand for the separation of religion from the state is raised. Achieving this demand removes this tool of oppression from the hands of capitalists and their government.
The separation of religion from the state means strictly abolishing any privileges and discrimination in government jobs and individuals’ rights based on their religion and religious status or their belief or lack of belief in religion. It means strictly abolishing any financial and non-financial aid from the government to religious activities and institutions. It means eliminating religious subjects and rituals from school curriculums and state educational institutions. No religion will be recognized as the official religion, religion will be considered a private matter for individuals, and everyone will be free to choose any religion or have no religion.
The slogan “separation of religion from the state” also expresses our commitment to the principle of unconditional freedom of belief. It emphasizes that communists, whether as opposition or in political power, strictly oppose the use of coercion, forced beliefs, and legal discrimination and restrictions against religious individuals. They consider no method other than intellectual struggle, enlightenment, education, and persuasion to be permissible in confronting religious views in society.
