Dehkhoda of Sår-i-Sr§fÊl: an Imperfect Picture of Social Democracy

In order to determine the political and social orientation of the newly established constitutional system, Ali Akbar Dehkhoda has expressed a special reading influenced by the ideology of social democracy. Therefore, the main issue of the research is what was Dehkhoda's understanding of the idea of social democracy and how did he combine it with Islam and Iranian traditions? According to the findings of this study, in Dehkhoda's system of thought, democracy in the form of national government is based on a democratic and social vision. He emphasizes components such as the sovereignty and government of the people, independence, freedom and legal equality of individuals, and considers the realization of these matters as a necessary condition for the transition to the period of progress. In addition, socialism (in the form of a justice-oriented and egalitarian system) has been mentioned as the ultimate goal and horizon of this political system, which will be achieved gradually and through reform of the status quo. In addition, Dehkhoda, by establishing the issue of Khatamiyyah and a new understanding of religion in the form of a monotheistic worldview, has combined socialism with a monotheistic vision and made it the theoretical and philosophical basis of his reading. His reading seems to be based on a combination of these three aspects. Although the evidence shows, this integration has not been able to establish a natural and organic connection between these aspects and to establish a new discourse; but this effort can be considered as the starting point of the idea of ​​creating a national and religious social-democratic discourse