International Journal on Criminology Volume 7, Number 2, Spring 2020 | Page 52

Secularization Versus Secularization: Understanding the System in the Islamic Republic of Iran
religion. The 2009 demonstrations also embody the expression of the desacralization
of the legitimacy of power: the sacralized leader, as well as his political
decisions, are now subject to criticism, which, in itself, constitutes the implosion
of a comprehensive approach, which by definition is absolute and immutable. The
development of secularist social aspirations clears away any concerns around the
issue of blasphemy. The theocratic power is now “attackable” in the name of human
dignity, the right of each person to take part in political life, and the decision-making
capacity of each person being equal to that of everyone else, including
the Leader of the Revolution. The question “who must govern?”—the traditional
question of jurisprudential Shiism—is now replaced by that of “how to govern?”
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