News

The third form of totalitarianism

22 February 2011

In October 2010, EFD Senior Fellow Wahied Wahdat-Hagh contributed to the Foreign Policy Centre's inaugural Iran Human Rights Review, focusing on the issue of religion. Edited by Tahirih Danesh and Adam Hug, the Review aims to contribute to creating "the main building blocks of a true democracy: a new culture of harmony and trust within Iranian society."

Wahied Wahdat-Hagh's article links the structure of the revolutionary Iranian state to the restriction of religious freedoms, as well as non-religious ones. He also discusses the persecution of women, Baha' i and trade union activists, concluding that the merging of religion and politics has created a new form of totalitarianism in Iran.

The Review in its entirety can be found here.