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The Iranian penal code is strictly Islamic in nature. Most all of the Quranic laws have prescribed punishments for those who are found to be guilty. Not surprisingly, there are no rights to fair trials. Phrases like due process are almost non-existent, as the Iranian police are notorious for their torture, indefinite detainment, and general mistreatment of any and all perceived as a threat to the Islamic identity of the state. (more…)

Aside from their disdain with perceived American imperialism, contemporary Iranians are enamored with the freedoms of the West. Iran also faces an important youth bulge that is experiencing discontent with strong economic, political, and social pressures (Larrabee 2003, p. 5). (more…)

Iran’s Guardian Council is not unlike the religious authority of Saudi Arabia; it acts as an enforcer of Islamic Shariah law and interrupts the workings of the Majlis (Parliament). An antiquated body, the Guardian Council has nonetheless effectively rendered popular opposition ineffective by strategically disqualifying candidates for governmental positions; any man or woman seeking to take public office essentially has to be approved by the Council before even running. (more…)

Modern Iran is the world’s only Shi’a theocracy, born out of the People’s Islamic Revolution of 1979. The deposed Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi originally sought to restore Iran to the prestige it once knew, but instead managed only to constrict his people’s freedoms and stifle their liberties. (more…)