# Religion in Iran *Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-18 — 1 clipping.* --- > Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Parviz Daneshvar, Religion in Iran, Houndmills: Macmillan Press Ltd., 1996, bahai-library.com. > ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── > > Revolution in Iran > > Parviz Daneshvar > First published in Great Britain 1996 by > MACMILLAN PRESS LTD > I dedicate this work to the memory of > Houndmills. Basingstoke. Hampshire RG2 I 6XS all those Iranians who > and London > Companies and representatives gave their lives for > throughout the world > their country > A catalogue record for this book is available > from the British Library. > ISBN 0-333-65965-1 > > First published in the United States of America 1996 by > ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, INC., > Scholarly and Reference Division. > 175 Fifth Avenue. > New York. N.Y. 10010 > ISBN 0-312-16270-7 > Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data > Daneshvar, Parviz, 1946- > Revolution in Iran I Parviz Daneshvar. > p. cm. > Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. > ISBN 0-312-16270-7 (cloth) > I. Iran-Politics and govemment-1979- 2. Iran-Politics and > govemment-1941-79. I. Title. > DS3 J 8.825.D36 1996 > 955.05-dc20 %--8633 > CIP > © Parviz Daneshvar 1996 > All rights reserved. No reproduction. copy or transmission of > this publication may be made without written permission. > No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or > transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with > the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, > or und!!r the terms of any licence permitting limited copying > issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court > Road. London WI P 9HE. > Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this > publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil > cl aims for damages. > 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 I > 05 04 03 02 01 00 99 98 97 96 > Printed and bound in Great Britain by > Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham. Wiltshire > 70 Revolution in Iran Dictatorship and Pseudo-Modernism 71 > > 3) That merit rather than connections be recognized as the basis for he owed his prominence to his affiliation to Bahaism and informal > promotion and responsibility. (JJ.S.E Documents, Vol. 7, Document contacts, rather than purely to his abilities and experience. However, > No. 76-10017, p. 73) while this may be true in part, it was mainly his close friendship with > Hassan Ali Mansur and his membership of the same dowreh as Mansur > Empress Farah's recommendations not only showed the extent of the which contributed to his success. > problem facing the Shah in 1976 but that those recommendations must The word dowreh is widely used in Iran to describe an informal but > have been ignored. The date of the CIA reports is also significant, for regular gathering of people who have a common purpose or interest > at the time the Shah was still very much in charge. The group's common factor may be anything - political, religious, pro- > fessional, family or simply poker or bridge playing. What is significant > about the dowreh is that its members may come from different social > INDIVIDUALS AND INSTITUTIONS backgrounds. The dowreh is a normal means of exchanging ideas and > information in a society which is addicted to gossip because of lack of > It is often said that Iran is a 1000-family country. If the 1000 refers to public information and free media Some prominent dowrehs were > the number of elite families, it is a great exaggeration. Below the Shah known to be affiliated to foreign governments, and several dowrehs > and his family, there were only 'a relatively small group of elite families were associated with Freemasonry. Some very prominent and influen- > which wielded power and influence not only in politics but also in tial politicians were known to be Freemasons and members of dowrehs-, > business, commerce and the professions' (US.E Documents, Vol. 7, these included Hossein Ala, Manouchehr Eqbal and Dr Jafar Sharif-. > Documents No. 76-10017, p. 20). They held key positions within the gov- Emami. It was also significant that when Eqbal was prime minister in > ernment, political appointments and private pursuits. They moved 1958, eleven members of his cabinet belonged to a dowreh associated > from one to the other and indeed kept their monopoly of important with Freemasonry, the Hafez Club (US.E Documents, Vol. 20, Docu- > posts. Bill has estimated that the top national elite families numbered ment No. A-351, pp. 16-17). > no more than 40, with an additional 15~0 provincial families whose Hoveyda had become a member of the dowreh that Mansur had organ- > influence was deep in a relatively limited area (Bill, quoted in US. E ized in 1959. That dowreh had been formed from a 'youngish group of mid- > Documents, Vol. 1, Document No. 76-10017, p. 21). dle-level bureaucrats interested in the problems of the Iranian > One of the key players in the Shah's political system was his longest development' (U S.E. Documents,Vol. 1, pp. 11-20). Within two years, it be- > serving prime minister, Amir Abbas Hoveyda. Hoveyda was appointed came a progressive club and had received the Shah's approval; by 1964 it > to the post after the assassination of Hassan Ali Mansur in 1965. He had developed into the Iran-e Novin Party, which was later headed by Ho- > survived his 13 years of tenure not only because of his complete subser- veyda who succeeded Mansur in 1965. The dowreh system shows the im- > vience and obedience to the Shah, but because of his ability 'to man- portance of such institutions in the formation of the political elite and the > oeuvre among conflicting personal ambitions of other officials who Iranian political system. One dowreh was the 'French-doctorate group', > were in at least covert competition for his job; to avoid any serious er- which met weekly for 25 years. In a 'three-year period its eleven members > rors in interpreting and carrying out the Shah's wishes; and, perhaps included a prime minister, three cabinet ministers, three ambassadors, > more important; the ability to play second fiddle to the Shah' (JJ.S.E the director of the NIOC and the president of the Teheran Chamber of > Documents, Vol. 7, Document No. 76-10017, p. 11). Commerce' (U S.E Documents,Vol. 1, Document No. 76-10017, p. 20). > Hoveyda came from humble origins. His father, having served as a The Iran-e Novin Party (INP) remained the largest party in the > secretary to a Bahai leader, entered the diplomatic service. Hoveyda's country. Ostensibly, the Mardom Party was in opposition to the INP, > affiliation to Bahaism, a religious sect regarded by the ulama as hereti- but neither the Shah nor the prime minister tolerated the criticism of > cal, was something that was not openly publicized However, his reli- its party chief, Nasser Ameri. > gious background did much damage to the Shah's standing amongst A Despite its lack of influence over foreign policy, the INP wielded > the ulama. Hoveyda's rise to power illustrated a rare case of upward '1f power throughout the country through its network of influential mem- > mobility in the Iranian system. It was widely believed at the time that bers in high places. According to the US embassy in Teheran, > > — *Religion in Iran (Used by permission of the curator)*