Journal of Modern Researches in Islam and Iran History Studies

Journal of Modern Researches in Islam and Iran History Studies

Pathology of the Approach to Religion and Religious Forces in the Memoirs of Political Elites of the Second Pahlavi Period (Case Study of Asadollah Alam's Notes)

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Mohammad taghi Latifi Shirdar
Assistant Professor, Department of Theology, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Ghaemshahr Branch, GHAEMSHAHR, IRAN
10.22034/nriihs.2025.2081058.1070
Abstract
Like many previous governments, the Pahlavi regime faced numerous opponents within Iran's borders. This government, with an authoritarian approach, always sought to suppress opposition forces and expand its totalitarian power. The elites present in the regime's political apparatus systematically participated in the suppression and provided political advice to the Shah. One of the elites who influenced the direction of this government in the political and social events of the 1960s and 1970s was Asadollah Alam. His view and approach towards religious forces played an influential role in the Shah's decisions. For this reason, Alam's memoirs are able to reveal the strategies and policies of the Shah and the elites around him in dealing with opposition forces. In the present study, the author seeks to examine and study Asadollah Alam's approach towards religious forces in order to reach Alam's mental plan in relation to religious forces while examining and pathologizing it. The research question is: What was Asadollah Alam's view in relation to religious forces? This hypothesis is put forward in response to the above question that Asadollah Alam's view regarding religious forces can be summarized in the form of a spectrum from encouraging-supportive to coercive. The research method in this article is descriptive-analytical and the method of collecting sources is library-documentary.
Keywords
Second Pahlavi regime
religious forces
structural threat
decision-making
religion
Subjects

  • Receive Date 16 December 2025
  • Revise Date 28 December 2025
  • Accept Date 29 December 2025
  • Publish Date 20 February 2026