Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 56 The Transformation of Shia Islam

Naserdin recently spoke with his teacher because only Amir could follow his train of thought. The other ministers were unaware of these new ideas, so he could only explain that it was for the purpose of enriching the country and strengthening its military.

As for terms like the gold standard and banks, they had never even heard of them. Nasser al-Din didn't expect them to understand; he just wanted them to obey.

Just then, the delegation he sent had returned from Britain. They were originally supposed to go directly back to Tabriz, but the Crown Prince had them moved to Tehran instead.

Hussein and others sat in the middle of the meeting hall, surrounded by ministers and generals. Nasser al-Din sat at the head of the table.

"Your Highness, this time I visited six countries and 18 cities. I inspected various local buildings..."

"Alright, alright, tell me your opinion."

“Yes,” Hussein said, taking out a thick document and looking at Nasser al-Din. “Your Highness, ministers, the West is more advanced than Iran in both economy and politics. A factory in one city produces more cloth than the entire country produces in a year, and they also have advanced ships and weapons.”

In comparison, Iran is far behind them. A complete overhaul is needed…”

"Shut up," Ayatollah Mirza of Tabriz interrupted. "Everyone says the West is so great, does that mean our country is completely incapable?"

"Ayatollah misunderstands. Our culture is certainly rich and diverse, but that cannot make Iran prosperous and strong."

"Of course it is! Without culture, there is no soul. The reason why the Ottomans repeatedly attacked our country but did not completely destroy us is because we upheld our national culture."

What exactly did you see in the West?

Mirza was aware of the changes in Qom; such a powerful force could be dismantled so easily, and they couldn't act rashly. Furthermore, with the Bab granted amnesty, they had no choice but to present themselves as guardians of Iranian culture in order to maintain their current position.

"I'm not saying we should abandon our culture, but we must learn from Britain. Do you know their way of life? Machines are everywhere. They can produce things that we can't produce in a year. Now Iran needs to learn these things and then return to the status of a great power."

Hussein continued, "Gentlemen, we must accelerate the change. If we persevere, we will surely reclaim the glory of Najaf and Iran."

Nasser al-Din nodded. The current situation was very favorable for reform, and it needed to be continued. The clerics had no choice but to change their approach, transforming from Shia clerics into guardians of Iranian culture and counterbalances against others.

"Do you have any ideas about other changes?"

Hussein immediately replied, "Yes, we can declare the abolition of the slave trade!"

This immediately caused many people to whisper among themselves. Hussein continued, "Now countries such as Britain and France have abolished the slave trade. Using slaves is a symbol of barbarity. Even Russia no longer has a slave trade. Buying slaves from places like Zanzibar is not only a loss, but also a trampling on freedom. Therefore, abolishing the slave trade is imperative."

The Grand Vizier began by asking, "Since you're saying the slave trade should be abolished, this alone might not convince others. In their view, the price of using slaves is far lower than the price of hiring regular workers. And since a one-time payment allows for permanent use, this is advantageous to them. Those landowners who use slaves probably won't agree." At this time, slavery was still a considerable investment, as slave owners only needed to cover food, lodging, and supervision. This was cheaper than paying free laborers, who earned more than just food and lodging; therefore, the economic benefits of slavery were higher.

Slavery is more prevalent when labor is relatively simple because supervision is easy, especially when cultivating simple crops on a large scale. Costs increase when tasks become complex and performance evaluation becomes more difficult. Therefore, slavery is more efficient in large-scale crop production, such as sugar and cotton.

"Regarding this, we can first ban the import of slaves. We should first make a gesture of abolishing slavery, and then gradually stop its use. As the economy grows, they will give up using slaves."

This directly mentions economic development, but various parts of Iran are only just beginning. Doesn't that say nothing at all?
"Quiet, quiet!" Amir tapped the bell beside him. "The country needs everyone's concerted efforts right now. The government has announced tax exemptions for several industries. As for the slave trade, its abolition is a must, but we can discuss the specific timing."

"Yes"

To better gather diverse perspectives, Nasser al-Din decided to select a group of experts from among the clergy, nobles, and enlightened bureaucrats to form an expert council to discuss various laws and policies. This council was essentially Iran's legislative body, responsible for discussing and passing a range of policies.

The first expert meeting is expected to be completed in March of this year, with Hussein appointed as speaker, and further discussions will begin.

After leaving the conference hall, several religious scholars and Mirza went into another house.

“Ayatura, only you can lead us now. The government’s sudden attack on Qom has caused us heavy losses.”

"Yes, you need to cheer up."

As everyone chattered, Mirza told them with a somber expression, "I wrote to Qom three times, telling you not to keep going against the government. Now you see, this is the consequence."

This is no longer the case. If we want to maintain our momentum, we need to change our approach.

Upon seeing this, the scholar immediately inquired about possible solutions.

“You need to understand that the government has the upper hand now, and no matter how much we mobilize the people, it won’t work. But if the government continues to introduce new things while ignoring local culture, the country will cease to exist, and I think the people will definitely protest.”

If they still didn't understand at this point, they would be fools. "Oh, I see. Let us become the representatives of Iranian culture."

Mirza nodded. "Only in this way can we maintain the status quo, and don't even think about overthrowing the Shah now. The Crown Prince is not someone to be trifled with. I think you should have learned your lesson."

Iran is isolated, speaking Persian and practicing Shia Islam in the Arabic-speaking Middle East, seemingly out of place in the rest of the world. But its rich culture, dating back to the Achaemenid dynasty, gives it pride; even after the Arab conquest of Persia, the Caliph needed Persian officials to help him govern. The establishment of the Safavid dynasty made Shia Islam the state religion of Iran, and now, Shia Islam needs a radical transformation to adapt to the current situation.

(End of this chapter)