To Rally and Lead All Muslims, Iran Upholds Rejectionist Ideals That Arab States Have Abandoned.
Is Iran primarily a Shi’ite power, or is its identity broader? For decades, the Iranian leadership would say they sought to lead the Islamic world, if only Sunnis could recognize the theological error of their ways and revert to the fold. After all, while Sunnis say the Shi’ites split from the true path, the Shi’ite narrative is the opposite. The Iranian regime’s disdain for Sunnis was readily apparent, however. While Tehran boasted a cathedral and more than a dozen synagogues, the regime refused to recognize any Sunni mosques in its capital. The Islamic Republic also repressed Kurds and the Baloch, not only because they were ethnic minorities, but also because they were Sunni.
Over the last decade, however, Iran has reinvented itself as a true patron for all Muslims. Arab states once emphasized their Islamic identity; today, they both de-emphasize their Islamic identity and shed anti-Zionism. Consider Saudi Arabia, for example: In 2005, Saudi Arabia declared the anniversary of the proclamation of the Kingdom to be a national holiday. This might seem innocuous, but it shed the pretense that Saudi Arabia was simply an Islamic state and made it a nationalist one. Likewise, while Saudi Arabia once funded anti-Zionism worldwide, today it openly flirts with Israel.
In hindsight, the evolution of Arab thought is logical. Most Arab states are only a few generations old. Lacking historical or popular legitimacy, they embraced Islam as a glue to legitimize themselves. Israel was a useful “other.” Such evolving trends orphan Arab reactionaries who cling to old ideas.
It is against this backdrop that the Islamic Republic senses an opportunity to lead not only Shi’ites, but also all Muslims. Indeed, both Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian have alluded to this in recent days. Speaking before Iranian Sunni community leaders, Khamenei warned that the enemy is working to divide the Shi’ite and Sunni populations, whether “inside [Iran] or outside.” Pezeshkian, meanwhile, opined, “Muslims are brothers. … Why shouldn’t we be able to travel to each other’s countries?” Such comments are increasingly becoming the rule, rather than the exception, from Iranian officials. Islamic unity is a new theme. The late President Ebrahim Raisi, for example, talked about how Muslim unity could be a bulwark against “the enemies’ plans.” Muslim unity, he advised, could lead to Israel’s defeat.
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