Introduction

Modernity has posed challenges to many Islamic societies and has necessitated responses on the societys part to adapt to it. This essay aims to expound on the challenges of modernity, especially in the context of Iran and the different approaches adopted by Iran in different time periods to address modernity. The amalgamation of Irans entrenched religiously dominated expectations and the prominent position of the clergy indubitably augmented the probability of success of the Islamic revolution. Contrastingly, emulation of the west was anathema to Iran because of foreign interferences in Iran throughout the 20th century.

Modernitys distinctiveness and the challenges it generally poses?

Modernity ostensibly eradicates the face of traditions and old institutions. It exerts implications for old certainties that were imperative in peoples lives and transforms them in an extremely rapid fashion. This nature of modernity precipitates an overwhelming process of change which is a challenge to traditional societies. The problem lies in how the individuals identity can be lost amidst foreign elements that are completely new to them (Video_1.5_7:41).For instance, rural-urban migration resulted in a corollary plunge into an environment that alienated peasants (Video_5.4_41:50). Furthermore, the expeditious change presented by modernity precludes people from smoothly adapting to it. Traditional customs and lifestyle people hold dearly are ostensibly ravaged by the inexorable force of modernity. Therefore, not only do people develop nostalgia for pre-modern past (Forumtiersmonde.net_2009) but also find modernity increasingly abhorrent. This is exacerbated when the modernization process is imposed on traditional societies by foreigners; engendering individuals feelings of debilitation and subjugation as a colonial subject (Video_1.5_9:12).

Challenges Iran faced from the 19th century onwards and their relation to modernity
Iran is too beleaguered by the aforementioned, especially since they experienced an extremely westernized version of it, possibly having undermined the position of religion. Modernity was arguably a boon more than a bane. Irans inability to keep up with military modernization entailed foreign domination and impoverished lives for many. In the 19th century, Irans incapacity to field a modern army (Video_5.2_12:16) meant countless military defeats and extremely harsh treaty conditions. After the loss in the Anglo-Persian war, Herat was permanently lost (Video_5.2_18:42). Similarly, the end of the fourth Russian-Persian War caused Iran to have to pay huge indemnity to Russia (Video_5.2_17:41). Later, monopolistic rights and concessions that burdened majority of the population (Video_5.3_18:22) had to be granted to foreign powers regardless, to satisfy them. Irans economy was also problematic simply because its administrative capacities were backward and unable to collect revenue for the Shah(Video_5.3_15:03) . The lack of modern institutions further crippled the economy, manifested in the absence of railways which hindered agricultural production and trade; non-existence of banks also meant that a growth in merchant class did not generate economic growth (Video_5.3_10:19). Modernitys negative impact was aggravated due to egregiously failed reforms that were often stopped or just inefficacious. Russias invasion of Iran in 1911 to prevent Shuster from bringing about economic reforms in Iran is a testament to this (Video_5.3_42:47). Subsequently, Reza Shahs superficial reforms also failed to ameliorate neither the social nor economic situation in Iran.

Response patterns in modern Iranian history

Emulation of the West is Irans most observed reaction to modernity. The earliest is perhaps the parliament, Majlis (Iranchamber.com_2005), created during the constitutional reform. Subsequently, Reza Shahs education reforms and those liberating women also transpired a leaning towards western ideologies. Mosaddeghs administration saw an emergence of secularism in Iran. White revolution endeavored to enrich peasants, treading in the path of western capitalist development (Video_5.4_40:50). These many instances of emulating the West were Irans approaches most of the time. However, they were not quite successful due to Iranians impression of foreign elements having declined significantly from foreign domination. For instance, the whole episode of Britain extracting oil from Irans ground but refusing to share profits and even coveting it; and American and Britain clandestine acts to depose the Prime Minister and reinstate the Shah (Video_5.4_30:52). Moreover, following the west seemed decadent and conflicting to religion, like in the case of Reza Shahs insistence on western dress code over traditional clothing and the Shahs plans for emancipation of women (Stanton _2003). Therefore, emulating the west was not a possible approach but rather gave a western slant to modernity, making modernity even harder to accept. Religious reform is not that germane to Iran because the change from emulating the west to opposing everything related to it was a sudden and complete one due to the Islamic revolution.. However, the brief period of secularism and reformation under Reza Shah can be said to be a form of religious reform since religion was being adapted to better fit modernity.

Victorious Islamic Revolution

Islamic Revolutions success in Iran has its roots in the position and role of the clergy throughout Irans adapting to modernity. The clergy established political legitimacy when Ayatollah Mirza Hassan Shirazi prohibited Tabaco, flagrantly opposing foreign powers (Video_5.3_25:16). The clergy appeared heroic in its opposition, thus gaining respect and support. Once again, during the White revolution, Iranians developed strong bonds with the clergy, appreciating that it was the only institution untainted by modernity. In particular, the clergy was the entity that served as a pillar of support and reference for people during the turbulent change (Video_5.4_47:11). The clergys important place in Iranians minds and respectability meant the entrenchment of Islamic values even in face of modernity. The infallibility of the clergy when the Shah and foreign imperialism jeopardized the stability of Iranian society reinforced peoples faith in it. Therefore, the revolution seemed right in turning back to Islam and exercising its superior teachings. Furthermore, the disillusionment with decadent western ideologies accumulated over events aforementioned certainly ensued in firm belief that only religion at the core of society works, and not any other approach be it capitalism or socialism (Renfield_2001). Iranians were also apologists of Islamic revolution because it meant fervent nationalist pride for them, since fundamentalism involved dependence on traditional religious teachings rather than models presented by modernity (Black_2009).