The meaning of the word "theocracy" from Greek can be translated approximately as "government". This form of government is rightly considered one of the oldest in the written history of mankind. However, recent archaeological excavations suggest that it was established even before humanity acquired the wheel, the alphabet and the concept of number. In the southeast of Turkey, ancient archaeological complexes of pre-literate cultures were discovered, which, however, already had a religious cult and a community of priests who served it.
Such settlements are scattered throughout Eastern Anatolia. The largest of them are Chatal Huyuk and Gobekli Tepe. The oldest of them is over 12,000 years old. It was probably the very first theocratic clerical state in which religion permeated all spheres of human everyday life.
Modern Clerical States
Since this form is the oldest of the existing ones, there are many examples of theocratic states in the history of mankind.
However, first of all, it is worth defining the terms. First of all, it is necessary to distinguish between clerical power and theocratic power. It is believed that secular clerical states are those in which, parallel to state secular structures or above them, mechanisms are created with the help of which religious organizations are able to influence politics, economics and law. An example of such a state on the modern political map of the world is the Islamic Republic of Iran, a clerical state that emerged as a result of the Islamic Revolution of 1978.
Today, many Islamic countries are among the clerical states. The modern clerical state, of which examples can be found in the Middle East, most often inevitably bears the stamp of tyranny. The following countries are commonly referred to as such regimes:
- United Arab Emirates;
- Kuwait;
- Qatar;
- Kingdom of Jordan.
Islamic republics on the world map
Four modern states have the word "Islamic" in their official names. While some, such as Pakistan, have secular clauses in their constitutions, they are actually controlled by religious groups with varying degrees of influence.
Here are the clerical states, the list of which includes four countries:
- Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
- Islamic Republic of Iran.
- Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
- Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
In fact, the only fundamental point that unites all these countries is their legal system, which is based on Sharia - a set of prescriptions that form beliefs and control the behavior of Muslims.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards
Of all the existing Islamic republics, it was in Iran that the most consistent Islamization of all spheres of the life of the state and society was carried out, total control was established over the observance of Sharia by all citizens.
In order to strengthen the power of religious leaders and promote the spread of the ideas of Islam outside the country and within the Islamic Republic itself, a special paramilitary organization called the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was created.
Since Islam is ubiquitous in the country, the influence of this organization has expanded incredibly. Over time, high-ranking officers from the Guardian Corps began to control the country's largest enterprises, along with representatives of the Islamic clergy.
At the same time, Iran is a classic clerical state, because in addition to religious courts, there is also a formally secular government and a president elected by the people. However, the head of state is still considered an ayatollah - a spiritual leader and an expert in religious law, vested with the power to make decisions in accordance with Islamic law. Experts have an opinion that in recent years betweenthe two leaders of the state began to increasingly experience conflicts that they try not to make public.
Discrimination Pakistani
As mentioned above, Pakistan is formally a secular state, despite being called an Islamic republic. The country is ruled by a leader who does not have a religious education, and most often he is a military man at all.
This, however, does not prevent discrimination against other religious communities living in the country. At the legal level, there is a ban on the election of a non-Muslim president of the country.
All executive power in Pakistan is in the hands of the government and the president, but the judicial and legislative de facto are strongly limited by the Federal Sharia Court - an institution that monitors the state's compliance with Sharia law. Thus, any law adopted by the parliament can be subjected to the examination of the Islamic court and rejected if it is found to be in conflict with Islamic law.
Unlike Iran, total Islamization was not carried out in Pakistan, and young people, despite a significant amount of religious survivals, have access to Western culture.
An unfortunate consequence of the attempt made in the 1980s to establish a universal dominance of religious norms was an extremely low percentage of people who received a secondary education. This is especially noticeable among the female part of the population, which is traditionally subjected to serious discrimination.
Vatican City: Theocratic Clerical State
Perhaps the most striking example of a state in which both secular and spiritual power belongs to one person is the Holy See. Due to its uniqueness, it deserves separate consideration.
It is well known that the Pope is the primate of the entire Roman Catholic Church. He also presides over the city-state of Vatican City, which is governed on his behalf by an appointed governor, always chosen from among the cardinals sitting in the Roman Curia.
The Pope is a monarch chosen by the members of the conclave for life. However, there are cases when he terminated his powers voluntarily - this is what Benedict XVl did in 2013, becoming the second pope in six hundred years to voluntarily renounce power.
According to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, the pope during his reign is infallible, and all decisions made by him are true and binding. This, however, does not exclude the existence of internal church intrigues and does not belittle the role of the government, called the Roman Curia.
Saudi Arabia: Theocracy or Dictatorship
The most difficult example for jurists to determine the type of government is the example of Saudi Arabia. Like other Islamic-majority states, Arabia has Sharia that limits the power of the king, effectively giving the monarch power based on divine decrees.
Complexity, however,is that the king is not a religious leader, although he necessarily belongs to the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. This leads researchers to believe that Saudi Arabia is a clerical state in which religious norms are put at the service of the ruling dynasty.
Premature abandonment of theocracy
Many researchers hastened to declare that the world has become secular, that human rights and democratic form of government are universal and inevitable, and progress will move forward, and nothing can stop it. However, the growing radicalization among some segments of the population shows that such hopes turned out to be premature. In the modern world, a secular, clerical, theocratic state is equally in demand by both citizens and political elites.
