Siyavash Shahabi
The struggle against religious superstition and the effort to sever the bond between religion and power have deep roots in Iran. Contrary to the widespread belief that secularism is purely a Western or modern phenomenon, Iranian history is rich with Enlightenment-driven efforts that have criticized religion not as a matter of faith, but as a political apparatus for suppressing and stupefying the masses. From the anti-clerical movements of the Constitutional Revolution to the intellectuals of the Reza Shah era and into contemporary struggles, opposition to religious obscurantism has consistently stood in direct confrontation with ruling power—because in Iran, religion has not been at the margins but at the very heart of the apparatus of domination.
Among these efforts, Sadegh Hedayat stands out as one of the most brilliant and merciless figures of this tradition of enlightenment. A writer who did not merely challenge superstition, but clashed with the religious institution itself, the entrenched social classes, and the corrupt political structures—and did so not through manifestos, but through novels, short stories, and dark satire. His works, especially during the 1940s, reflect a deep crisis between the desire for social rebirth and the enduring dominance of superstition, poverty, and theocracy.
Sadegh Hedayat is one of the most prominent Iranian writers of the twentieth century, whose works have consistently reflected a sharp, bitter, and pessimistic view of society, religion, institutions of power, and human nature. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he did not pursue moral reform or revolutionary idealism; rather, with a precise and at times terrifying gaze, he explored the hidden structures of domination, humiliation, and subjugation embedded in Iranian language, tradition, and politics.
Among his numerous works, the novel Haji Agha holds a special place. More than a narrative-driven story, it is a raw and unsettling monologue and dialogue from within the mind and language of a distinct social type: a class that grew out of tradition, religion, the bazaar, and the security apparatus in Iran, embodied in figures such as “Haji Agha.” This novel is not only one of Hedayat’s most political and outspoken works, but also stands as one of the most ruthless critiques of the structure of power in modern Iran.
The novel was written in 1945, a decisive moment in Iran’s contemporary history—right after the fall of Reza Shah following the Allied occupation during World War II, and before the rise of nationalist and democratic movements during Mossadegh’s era. This period brought a relatively open political climate and press freedom, but it was also marked by intense rivalry among monarchists, the clergy, the bazaar, feudal forces, and the left and progressive groups. Hedayat, with a perspective that sanctified none of these blocs, focused instead on those forces that, behind all these struggles, sought to reproduce domination, ignorance, and poverty.
It was under such conditions that the Tudeh Party was formed in Iran. The founders of this party were survivors of the group known as “the Fifty-Three,” who had been arrested and imprisoned during Reza Shah’s rule. In the elections for the 14th session of the National Consultative Assembly, 23 Tudeh Party candidates received 200,000 votes—more than 13 percent of all votes cast nationwide. At that time, Iran’s population was approximately 12 million. As Ervand Abrahamian notes, “For the first time in Iran’s history, a radical non-religious organization gained popular support.” The Tudeh Party also held significant influence in the cultural sphere, with many of the country’s writers and poets in some way affiliated with it.
Sadegh Hedayat never joined the Tudeh Party, but many of his close friends—such as Bozorg Alavi, Abdolhossein Noushin, Khalil Maleki, Ehsan Tabari, and Jalal Al-e Ahmad—were members. Hedayat also allowed party members on several occasions to hold their secret meetings at his residence, though he himself rarely took part in the discussions. In 1945, he became a contributor to Payam-e Now, a journal affiliated with the Iranian-Soviet Cultural Relations Society, and served as an active member of its editorial board.
Haji Agha is not merely the name of a fictional character—it is a title that embodies a social type deeply rooted in Iran’s historical class structure….
https://firenexttime.net/sadegh-hedayat-on-religion-power-and-manufactured-ignorance/
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