1
PhD in Philosophy and Theology; Assistant Professor of Jamiat Al-Mustafa,Tehran, Iran.
2
PhD in Defense and Strategic Sciences, National Defense University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Imam Khamenei's theory of religious democracy presents a governance model based on Islamic foundations of monotheism in legislative sovereignty, which emphasizes the necessity of establishing and maintaining government through divine-popular legitimacy and public participation. The theory insists on preserving systemic efficacy while requiring multiple qualifications - including scholarly, managerial, insightful, and ethical competencies - from governing officials. While numerous studies have examined the nature and mechanisms of Imam Khamenei's religious democracy theory, two critical aspects remain understudied: first, a thorough analysis of the rational and scriptural foundations of this theory, and second, a systematic comparison between religious democracy and its main theoretical counterpart - Western democracy. These constitute the primary objectives of this article. Using an inferential-analytical methodology, we first examine the foundations of both Imam Khamenei's religious democracy theory and Western democracy, then conduct a comparative analysis to clearly demonstrate their points of convergence and divergence.
Alavi Tabar, S. and Ghandaghi, M. (2024). A Comparative Study of the Theoretical Foundations of Religious Democracy in Imam Khamenei's Thought and Western Democracy. Strategic theorizing, 3(1), 77-102.
MLA
Alavi Tabar, S. , and Ghandaghi, M. . "A Comparative Study of the Theoretical Foundations of Religious Democracy in Imam Khamenei's Thought and Western Democracy", Strategic theorizing, 3, 1, 2024, 77-102.
HARVARD
Alavi Tabar, S., Ghandaghi, M. (2024). 'A Comparative Study of the Theoretical Foundations of Religious Democracy in Imam Khamenei's Thought and Western Democracy', Strategic theorizing, 3(1), pp. 77-102.
CHICAGO
S. Alavi Tabar and M. Ghandaghi, "A Comparative Study of the Theoretical Foundations of Religious Democracy in Imam Khamenei's Thought and Western Democracy," Strategic theorizing, 3 1 (2024): 77-102,
VANCOUVER
Alavi Tabar, S., Ghandaghi, M. A Comparative Study of the Theoretical Foundations of Religious Democracy in Imam Khamenei's Thought and Western Democracy. Strategic theorizing, 2024; 3(1): 77-102.
)
