foucault-and-the-iranian-revolution-janet-afary

Processions, Passion Plays, and Rites of Penance
your eyes and talk to me.' One woman, then two, then dozens began to weep,
as if it were their own father's death was being described. "Cry everyone, cry, "
the singer crooned. "If you do not have enough tears, your sins will not be
forgiven." The women cried as if their after-lives depended on it. Boxes of
Kleenex circulated through the room. The praying settled into a rhythm, and
the women began beating their chests in time to it. It was 1 :30 A.M., and there
were several hours more of praying and weeping before the women could
attack a waiting table laden with food. (Waldman 2001. AS)
These rituals of penance thus address the believers' spiritual needs in a very
concrete way. By appealing to Hussein and his family, one can hope for a swift
resolution of one's problems. As Mary Hegland has similarly argued, the figure
of Imam Hussein has served as "an intercessor between God and human
beings. " 14 Hussein's martyrdom earns him a special place in the heavenly
panoply. He is gifted with the saintly power of forgiving sins and fulfilling
believers' wishes, no matter how mundane.
Foucault on the Discourse of Death and Christian Rituals of Confession
In the fall of 1978, during the early stages of the Iranian Revolution, a variety
of nationalist and leftist students joined the Islamists in mass antiregime
demonstrations. Soon, however, the Islamist wing dominated. The struggle
against the shah was cast as a reenactment of the historic battle between H ussein
and Yazid, and the ostensibly secular, nationalist, and leftist demands
of many of the demonstrators were articulated in religious garb and throu·gh
Muharram rituals. In the name of national unity, Islamists took control of all
the revolutionary slogans and demanded that the more secular women don
the veil as an expression of solidarity with the more traditional ones.
Foucault compared the political reenactments of Shi'ite rituals by the lslamists
during the 1978-79 Iranian Revolution to European Christian rites
of penitence:
On December 2, the Muharram celebrations will begin. The death of I mam
Hussein will be celebrated . It is the great ritual of penitence. (Not long
ago, one could still see marchers flagellating themselves.) But the feeling of
sinfulness that could remind us of Christianity is indissolubly linked to the
exaltation of martyrdom for a just cause. It is a time when the crowds are ready
to advance toward death in the intoxication of sacrifice. During these days, the
Shi'ite people become enamored with extremes. ("The Revolt in Iran Spreads
on Cassette Tapes: app., 216)
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