The meaning of the word "theocracy" from Greek can be translated approximately as "divine authority." 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 a wheel, an alphabet and the concept of number. In the south-east of Turkey, ancient archaeological complexes of preliterate cultures were discovered, which, however, already had a religious cult and a community of priests serving it.
Such settlements are scattered throughout Eastern Anatolia. The largest of them are Chatal-Hyuk and Gebekli-Tepe. The oldest of them is over 12,000 years old. This 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, many examples of states arranged according to theocratic principle can be found in the history of mankind.
However, for a start it is worth determining the terms. First of all, it is necessary to distinguish clerical power from theocratic power. It is believed that secular clerical states are those in which mechanisms are created in parallel with or above secular state structures through 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 1978 Islamic Revolution.
Today, many Islamic countries are among the clerical states. The modern clerical state, examples of which can be found in the Middle East, most often inevitably bears the imprint of tyranny. The following countries are commonly referred to such regimes:
- United Arab Emirates;
- Kuwait;
- Qatar;
- Kingdom of jordan
Islamic republics on a world map
Four modern states have the word "Islamic" in their official name. Despite the fact that some of them, such as Pakistan, contain secular clauses in their constitution, in fact, they are controlled by religious groups with varying degrees of influence.
Here are clerical states, a 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 the Sharia - a set of regulations that form beliefs and control the behavior of Muslims.
Iranian Guardians of the Revolution
Of all the existing Islamic republics, it was precisely in Iran that the most consistent Islamization of all spheres of life of the state and society was carried out, total control was established over the observance of Sharia norms by all citizens.
In order to consolidate the power of religious leaders and promote the spread of Islamic ideas outside the country and within the Islamic Republic itself, a special militarized organization was created, called the Corps of Guards of the Islamic Revolution.
Since Islam is ubiquitous in the country, the influence of this organization has expanded incredibly. Over time, senior officers from the Guard 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, since 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 Ayatollah - a spiritual leader and expert on religious law, vested with the power to make decisions in accordance with Islamic law. Experts have the opinion that recently, between the two leaders of the state, conflicts have begun to occur more often, which try not to make public.
Pakistani discrimination
As stated above, Pakistan is formally a secular state, despite what is called an Islamic republic. The country is governed by a leader who does not have a religious education, and more often than not he is a military man at all.
However, this 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 by the country.
All executive power in Pakistan is in the hands of the government and the president, but the judicial and legislative are de facto very limited by the Federal Shariah Court , an institution that monitors state compliance with Sharia law. Thus, any law adopted by the parliament can be subjected to the examination of an Islamic court and rejected in case of detection of contradictions to Islamic law.
Unlike Iran, there was no total Islamization in Pakistan, and young people, despite a significant number of religious vestiges, have access to Western culture.
The sad consequence of an attempt to establish universal dominance of religious norms in the eighties was the extremely low percentage of people who received secondary education. This is especially noticeable among the female part of the population, which is traditionally subjected to severe discrimination.
Vatican: theocratic clerical state
Perhaps the most vivid example of a state in which both secular and spiritual authorities belong to one person is the Holy See. Due to its uniqueness, it deserves a separate review.
It is well known that the Pope is the Primate of the entire Roman Catholic Church. In addition, he leads the Vatican city-state, which is governed by an appointed governor on his behalf, always chosen from among cardinals sitting in the Roman Curia.
The pope is a monarch whom members of the conclave choose for life. However, there are cases when he terminated his powers voluntarily - as 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 taken by him are true and binding. This, however, does not exclude the existence of intra-church intrigues and does not belittle the role of the government called the Roman Curia.
Saudi Arabia: Theocracy or Dictatorship
The most difficult to determine the type of government for jurists is the example of Saudi Arabia. As in other states with an Islamic majority, in Arabia there is Sharia, which limits the power of the king, which in fact gives the monarch power based on divine institutions.
The difficulty, 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 placed at the service of the ruling dynasty.
Premature rejection of the idea of theocracy
Many researchers hastened to declare that the world has become secular, that human rights and a democratic form of government are universal and inevitable, and progress will move forward, and nothing can stop it. However, an ever-increasing radicalization among some segments of the population shows that such hopes were premature. In the modern world, a secular, clerical, theocratic state is equally demanded by both citizens and political elites.