A Challenging View on Religion-State Relationship: Iranian Case

It's obviously documented and historically recorded that religion has always been a strong factor in Iranian society, and is embedded in social/everyday life of Iranian Muslims. Most of researches also explore that Iranian Muslims strongly believe in spirituality as well as rituals although the states might have followed secular policies in public spheres in past decades.

Since the victory of Islamic Revolution in 1979, the state was formally charged to diffuse religious believes over the society and to control people to follow religious rituals and Islamic duties in public sphere as well as the private space. These new policies made the state to intervene in legislating process regarding the Islamic believes to make people to follow Islamic rules in public sphere and do rituals like prayers, fasting, Hijab etc.

But what's the true reality? A survey on the basis of data collected in 2010-2012 in a few of important vital cities in Iran tries to find answers to this question. Due to the findings of this research it's suggested that although the state is to make people do rituals in public sphere and all possible efforts are done by the state, media, police etc to convince people to follow the state Islamic rules (i.e. not eating/drinking in fasting days in public spheres) -otherwise they will be punished- but it has not lead to increase in doing religious rituals in their private everyday lives.

This research explores that state's pressures on people to do rituals have been less successful although it suggest that Iranians are strongly religious and strongly believe in spirituality yet but in a personalized way.

Keywords: sociology of religion, religious legislation, religious status, public sphere, Iranian Studies.