A Sociological Study of the Tolouian Political Religious Sect (With a Focus on the Bakhtiari People)

In a time when Mohammad Mosaddegh and Hossein Fatemi were involved with the movement of nationalizing the oil industry, during the years 1949-1950, in the Lur-dominated region of southwestern Iran, from Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad to Chaharmahal and Bakhtiyari and also the eastern area of Khuzestan province including Dehdez, Malmir (Izeh) and Masjed Soleyman, an event took place which is known as the Toloui Year by locals. The matter which is a group called Toloui or Soroushi, resembles a sect or semi-sect which has its own rituals regarding lifestyle, such as a special way of eating and performing their own special ceremony which is accompanied by certain spells. The rituals and way of living of this movement was in a way that encouraged individuals to abandon and disregard the world. The research was conducted through a qualitative and a grounded theory strategy, which the main research question was turned into a paradigm model using the grounded theory, and some of the supporting questions were posed through documentary and library research. Using the snowball sampling technique, 23 people participated in a semi-structured interview, and the interviews were coded in the way of the concepts and categories which the participants themselves expressed. Findings show that this sect was contrived and did not last very long. Furthermore, lack of knowledge, illiteracy and absence of clergies can be named as contextual factors, and fear, pre-eminence, conformity, attractiveness and mystery can be named as motivations for joining the sect. Moreover, the consequences of the movement can be said to be Dunyaphobia, traditionalistic piety, poverty, defamation, division and conflict among tribes, creating deception and superstitions, decrease in social crimes, and committing acts against the religious law.