Where revolutions take shape: the Hosseiniyeh Ershad as a catalyst for the Islamic Revolution of Iran

In the history of revolutions, places like the Bastille, Capitol Hill and Tahrir Square have been seen as places where revolutions germinated, manifested, and even ended. These places were immortalized in historical memory as mythical sites where revolutionary actions changed the course of that nation’s history. However, there are few places where revolutionary literature and speeches were written or delivered that polished the revolution’s message like the Hosseiniyeh Ershad in Tehran on the eve of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Moreover, there are even fewer places where different and varied messages were spoken under the same roof, to the same audience, by thinkers from different currents who respected the revolutionary discourse, even if they did not agree with it, and respected the choice of the listeners and their demand for the speakers’ messages to be refined. This article examines the necessity of establishing an institution that amalgamates two apparently conflicting components: the religious element, which inherently opposes the nature of the Shah’s rule represented by Ayatollah Motahhari, and the perspective of Ali Shariati. Although Shariati did not come from the religious establishment, he advocated political renewal informed by Shiite religious tenets, as well as by principles derived from Western political philosophy.