The Hojjatiyeh Society in Iran: Ideology and Practice from the 1950s to the Present

The Hojjatiyeh Society is one of the most fascinating religious groups in modern Iran. The society started its way in the 1950s as an anti-Baha'i movement but found itself fighting Khomeini's Velayat-i Faqih and leading an anti-Khomeini and messianic agenda. Despite the Hojjatiyeh's fight against Khomeini, the Hojjatiyeh became, unwillingly and unintentionally, a leading faction in the Islamic Revolution, with its members coming to occupy some of the highest echelon posts in Iranian politics. The Hojjatiyeh was dismissed in 1983 by Khomeini, but it seems it never truly left the political sphere until today, when its traces can still be found on Iranian politics. Even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his mentor the Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi are reported to be Hojjatiyeh members.

Front Matter Pages i-xvii
The Spiritual Background to the Imamate Shi’a—Ithna A’shariyyah and the First Half of the Twentieth Century Front Matter Pages 1-1
The Story of the Shi’a Ronen A. Cohen Pages 3-19
The Revival of the Shi’a after the Qajars Ronen A. Cohen Pages 21-45
The Baha’i Faith and the Emergence of the Hojjatiyeh Front Matter Pages 47-47
The Baha’i Faith and Its Origins in Shi’a Islam and Despair Ronen A. Cohen Pages 49-64
The Hojjatiyeh Society Ronen A. Cohen Pages 65-94
Postrevolution Era and the Hojjatiyeh as a Counterrevolutionary Movement Front Matter pages 95-95
Danger Ahead: Challenging Khomeini Ronen A. Cohen Pages 97-129
The Evolution of Extremism Ronen A. Cohen Pages 131-143
Conclusions Ronen A. Cohen Pages 145-150
Back Matter Pages 151-194