Sean-Paul Kelley | San Antonio | November 22
The Agonist [1] - From page 144 of The Persian Puzzle [2]:
The core of Khomeini's political philosophy was a concept known as veleyat-e faqih, which means "rule of the jurisprudent." Khomeini was a devotee of Plato (a rarity among mullahs), and in his utopian Islamic society, the state would be ruled over by a theocratic philosopher-king--a man so learned in Islamic law that all of his peers and all of his countrymen would recognize thatonly he could provide "right-minded" guidance. Michael Fischer notes that Khomeini was never able to cite textual bases for the concept of velyat-e faqih, largely because it was derived essentially from The Republic rather than from the Quran.
more after the jump
I find inter-cultural cross-pollenizations such as this absolutely fascinating. And don't forget, a great deal of the early Renaissance Aristoteleian and Platonic philosophy came to us from the Arabs.
I am reminded of a conversation I had many years ago while in undergrad with a young Iranian woman.
I said, "the similarities, between us, the 'people of the Book' are so many."
"Yes, this is true. We share so much," she said. "We are like family. Perhaps that is why we love so strongly but hate each other so fiercely."