The Position of Religious Democracy in the Formulation of the Principles of the Islamic Worldview and Ideology from the Perspective of Ayatollah Khāmeneī

One of the most important theories proposed in the context of Iranian social system is the theory of “religious democracy,” which was initially introduced by Imam Khomeini as the “Islamic Republic”, and the Iran’s political system was shaped after the Islamic Revolution based on this theory. Researches and various activities have been carried out with a focus on explaining the foundations of religious democracy, and on formulating it. Drawing upon the analytical-descriptive method, the aim of this research is to analytically examine religious democracy in terms of an interpretation presented by Ayatollah Khamenei. This interpretation (reading) is explained within the framework of his intellectual system through the two layers of worldview and ideology. Accordingly, the main question of the research is, “What is the role of religious democracy in formulating the principles of Islamic worldview and ideology from the perspective of Ayatollah Khameneī?’ The authors of this article hold the view that, in Ayatollah Khamenei’s intellectual system, religious democracy is explained for the realization of the goal of Islamic governance, and in his intellectual system, it has taken shape around the central theme of wilāyah, “guardianship”; a multi-faceted guardianship that will bring about the unity of people with each other, the unity of the Ummah (Islamic Community) with the Imam, and ultimately, the unity of the Muslim community,Ummah, with the Truth.