The Muslim People's Republic Party (MPRP) or Islamic People's Republican Party (IPRP; ) was a short-lived party associated with
Shia
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
Islamic cleric
Shariatmadari. It was founded in 1979 during the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...
as a "moderate, more
liberal counterweight" to the
theocratic
Theocracy is a form of autocracy or oligarchy in which one or more deities are recognized as supreme ruling authorities, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries, with executive and legislative power, who manage the government's daily a ...
,
Islamist Islamic Republican Party
The Islamic Republican Party (IRP; , also translated Islamic Republic Party) was formed in 1979 to assist the Iranian Revolution and Ayatollah Khomeini in their goal to establish theocracy in Iran. It was disbanded in 1987 due to internal confl ...
(IRP) of Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini
Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 19023 June 1989) was an Iranian revolutionary, politician, political theorist, and religious leader. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian ...
, and disbanded in 1980.
History
The party was founded around March 1979. by a "group of bazaar merchants, middle-class politicians, and clerics associated with Khomeini's chief rival in
Qom
Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...
", the Grand Ayatollah
Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari
Sayyid Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari (), also spelled Shariat-Madari (5 January 1906 – 3 April 1986), was an Iranian Grand Ayatollah. He favoured the traditional Shiite practice of keeping clerics away from governmental positions and was a crit ...
. In contrast to the Islamic Republican Party, the Muslim People's Republican Party emphasized "collective" religious leadership - as opposed to leadership by Khomeini - "criticized the unruly behavior" of the revolutionary committees and the "harsh judgment" of the
revolutionary courts, was ready to cooperate with the secular parties, and demanded free access for all to the broadcast media." The MPRP "immediately came under attack from the"
IRP and the MPRP's offices in "
Karaj
Karaj (; ) is a List of cities in Iran by province, city in the Central District (Karaj County), Central District of Karaj County, Alborz province, Alborz province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. Earl ...
,
Arak,
Saveh
Saveh () is a city in the Central District of Saveh County, Markazi province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is about southwest of Tehran.
History
In the 7th century BC it was a stronghold of the Medes. ...
,
Ardabil
Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
The ...
, and
Khalkhal were attacked."
In November 1979 the party and its clerical adviser, Shari'atmadari (who was not a member), became a rallying point of Iranians who opposed the proposed new theocratic constitution of the Islamic Republic, which was soon to be voted on in a national referendum. In return, the party and the cleric were attacked by the state-controlled media. Khomeini met with Shariatmadari on December 6 and delivered "what appears to have been an ultimatum" to him.
In early December riots broke out in Shariatmadari's
Azeri Azeri or Azeri Turk may refer to:
* Azeri people, an ethnic group also known as Azerbaijanis
* Citizens of Azerbaijan
* Azeri language, the modern-day Turkic language
* Old Azeri, an extinct Iranian language
* Azeri Turk (journal), Academic jour ...
home region. Members of the MPRP and Shariatmadari's followers in
Tabriz
Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
took to the streets and seized the television station, using it to "broadcast demands and grievances." Tabriz being Iran's second or third largest city it appeared "for a moment ... that the opposition had found a powerful base from which to check the spreading power of the Islamic Republican Party" and Khomeini's power.
[Bakhash, ''The Reign of the Ayatollahs'', (1984) p. 89-90]
The regime responded with carrots and sticks. Revolutionary Guards retook the TV station, mediators were sent to Tabriz, a massive pro-Khomeini counter-demonstration was staged in Tabriz.
[ At this crucial point, Shariatmadari "wavered" in his support for the movement, and the Tabriz movement "faltered." In early January 1980, Shariatmadari "formally disassociated" himself from the MPRP, and after a clash in Qom between his followers and those of Khomeini he was put under virtual house arrest and many of his aides (who had been active in the party) were arrested.][Moin ''Khomeini'', (2001), p. 232]
The Islamic Republican Party organized a massive campaign to demand the dissolution of the MPRP and that party obliged announcing it "was suspending activities."[ By January, the party was no longer active.] Some months later, two members of the party were put to death in Tabriz
Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
, "for having organized antigovernment rallies."
In 2010, Asadollah Asadi was imprisoned on charges that he was a member of the party (also known as the Muslim People's Party).Asadollah Asadi: Prisoner of the day iranian.com
/ref> He was released on bail in 2016.
See also
* Organizations of the Iranian Revolution
Several organizations, parties and guerrilla groups were involved in the Iranian Revolution. Some were part of Ayatollah Khomeini's network and supported the theocratic Islamic Republic movement, while others did not and were suppressed when Khome ...
* List of largest political parties
This is a list of Political party, political parties by reported number of members. These reported membership numbers are usually claimed by the parties themselves and may not have been confirmed by independent studies.
Currently active political ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Party, Muslim People's Republic
1979 establishments in Iran
Political parties established in 1979
1980 disestablishments in Iran
Political parties disestablished in 1980
Defunct political parties of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Political parties of the Iranian Revolution
Banned political parties in Iran
Islamic political parties in Iran
Liberal parties in Iran
Centrist parties in Iran
Iranian clerical political groups
Conservative parties in Iran
Republican parties