The statement on the second phase of the Islamic Revolution of Iran is a document that throwslight on the future horizon of this Revolution in the next forty years.

The Islamic Revolution of Iran took place at a time when religion hadlost its social dimension and no scholar and/or elite believed that religions could, anymore, play a role in the formation of a political system. This mentality may have been caused by the experience of Western societies about the failureof the Church in the medieval eras.However, the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, which took place with the discourse of political Islam in the year 1979, invalidated such assumptions of the time and proved that religion and worldlyaffairs are not necessarily two separate issues.

Keeping in view the fact that the Islamic Revolution of Iran negated all the existing theories about the incapability of religious teachings in getting involved in the political affairs of society it is essential to have a glance at the international dimension of this Revolution, which have so far been neglected and, therefore, need to be elaborated.

Unlike in the early years of its advent, when the Islamic Revolution and its thoughts wereconsideredto beof great danger by the dominating world powers, it is now recognized as a regional power,which can play an important rolein the world politics and the stances adopted towards this revolution reflects upon its importance.

By introducing a new discourse, the Islamic Revolution of Iran challenged the political discourses of the East and the West of the time and introduced a new intellectual atmosphereand horizon to the world. The ups and downs faced by the Islamic Revolution during the last forty years prompted the Supreme Leader of the Revolution to issue a strategic statement with regards to the second phaseof the Revolution by wisely taking into considerationthe regional and international developments.

Taking into consideration the points raised by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution the international dimensions of his statement on the second phase of the Revolution, this Revolution has given rise to a“New Islamic Civilization”.

According to the points raised in the statement, the new Islamic civilization will have the following characteristics, which are of global importance:

1. A) Cultural Dimensions: Comprising self-esteem, change in the lifestyle, a greater role for the youths, giving importance to morality, innovative cultural discourse. One of the fundamental requirements of social development is culture. This is because the very existence and identity of every society are dependent on its culture. Thus, in the absence of an appropriate trend in culture-building, no real cultural development would be possible for any society. Being based on the teachings of Islam, which emphasizes spirituality and morality, the culture of the Iranian society has been defined by its Supreme Leader as under:

“Spirituality means emphasizing spiritual values, such as sincerity, sacrifice, reliance on God, and faith in yourself and society. Morality entails observing virtues such as benevolence, forgiveness, assisting the needy, truthfulness, courage, humbleness, self-confidence, and other good characteristics. Spirituality and moralityare important values and the main needs of the society in directing every movement as well as individual and social activities. Their existence makes life a paradise even in the face of material shortages, whereas their absence, makes life helleven if materially rich.The growth of spiritual perception and moral conscience in society brings about more blessings.”

1. B) Political Dimensions: Comprising the rule of law, Jihadi-oriented model of management of affairs, revolutionary system, strength, ontological-oriented value system. Following the victory of the Revolution the foreign policy of Iran underwent major changes in the sense that from being dependent on the Western block led by the United States of America it adopted the policy of “neither East, nor West” as the very foundation of its foreign policy. Based on this policy the Islamic Republic of Iran decided to neither tolerate any form of foreign hegemony nor adopt any hegemonic stand against any other nations. In the words of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei:

“The magnificent and glorious epitome of rising against the bullies, thugs, and arrogant powers of the world – led by the criminal and warmongering U.S.A. – grew more prominent day after day. During all these forty years, Iran and the Iranians – particularly the youth of this land – have been known as never surrendering and always safeguarding the Revolution, its divine magnificence, and its pride against arrogant, haughty states. The hegemonic powers of the world, which have lived on trespassing the independence of other countries and plundering their vital interests in order to fulfill their evil intentions, have confessed to their weakness in the face of the Islamic and Revolutionary Iran.”

1. C) Economic Dimensions: Comprising resistance-oriented economics, an instrumental approach to the economy, serious struggle against corruption. In spite of all the unfair economic sanctions against the Iranian nation, based on the teachings of Islam the Muslim nation of Iran has been able to withstand all the economic pressures in a dignified manner. By the same token, the Islamic Republic of Iran has managed to become reasonably advanced with regard to different sectors of the economy. i.e., agriculture, industry, and service. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution’s comment on this issue is:

“The Islamic Revolution showed us the way out of the weak, dependent, and corrupt economy of the Pahlavi era. However, feeble performances have posed internal and external challenges to the country’s economy. The external challenges include the enemy’s sanctions and temptations that would be rendered less effective or even ineffective if the internal challenges are resolved. The internal challenges consist of structural defects and managerial weaknesses.”

1. D) Scientific Dimensions: Comprising research-oriented scientific activities for the overall advancement of the country in different industrial, agricultural, and services sectors. As rightly described by the Supreme Leader:

“Our achievements in science and technology – which have put us in the 16th place among more than 200 countries in the world, have surprised world observers and in some sensitive and new fields has promoted us to the first ranks – happened while the country was under financial and scientific sanctions. In spite of having to swim against the tide made by the enemy, we have made great records, and this is a great blessing, for which one needs to thank God day and night.”

A review of the above-mentioned points reveals that from the viewpoints of the Islamic Revolution of Iran and the discourse it stands for, human society requires to be multidimensional and adopt each of these dimensions in order to gainsalvation. The important point to note is that these points apply to all human societies irrespective of their religion.

What is important to note is that the Islamic Revolution linked governance and politics to religions andreligious principles as well as servitude and obedience to God Almighty. By introducing a new discourse, the Islamic Revolution of Iran confronted the world of thought and discourse with a new horizon and challenged the political discourses of East and West at that time. What this new discourse presented to the oppressed people of the world was that it is possible to traverse the path of progress by being dependent on their own abilities and resources and without undergoing the policies dictated by the hegemonic powers.

To conclude it needs to be emphasized that the Islamic Revolution of Iran has introduced a new doctrine and discourse to the world, which should be researched upon by taking into consideration the progress made by the Islamic Republic of Iran in the last 42 years, in spite of all the unfair and unjustified stances (including eight years of imposed war through the Iraqi Ba’athist regime in the early years of the Revolution) against it by the hegemonic powers. Today the Islamic Republic of Iran is a power to reckon with in every respect both in the region and at the international level.