چکیده:
The Iranian constitutional movement catalyzed profound changes, culminating in the establishment of the National Assembly. As per the eighth provision of the constitutional amendment, all Iranians including recognized religious minorities such as Zoroastrians, Christians, and Jews were deemed equal under the law. This enabled them to appoint parliamentary representatives to voice their desires and secure their rights. This study seeks to delve into a central query using a historical-analytical approach and referencing parliamentary proceedings and extant documents: following the advent of the constitutional system and the creation of the parliament, how did religious minorities navigate their path to equal rights, and what obstacles confronted them? Our findings reveal a varied journey for these minorities in securing rights. Armenians notably pushed for parity with Muslims in electoral rights and sought suffrage for Christian women, but these demands found limited traction in the parliament. In contrast, Zoroastrians successfully entrenched their presence in the parliament by joining commissions and committees. Prioritizing legal equality, they secured memberships in provincial associations, and at times, Zoroastrian representatives viewed themselves more as representatives of the entire Iranian nation rather than just their minority group. The Jewish community encountered heightened challenges, predominantly stemming from internal divisions. Nonetheless, they proposed initiatives such as freedom of business, exemption for Jewish women from the general prohibition on female suffrage, and spotlighting Jewish concerns in the Majlis to reclaim some Jewish rights. Ultimately, the principle of equality under the law met with substantial challenges, leading to minorities being recognized not as integral components of the Iranian nation but as distinct communities.
خلاصه ماشینی:
According to Article 8 of the Supplement to the Constitution, all Iranians, including the country's official religious minorities (Zoroastrians, Christians, and Nestorians), were considered equal before the law and, through the appointment of parliamentary representatives, found the possibility to express their demands and achieve their rights.
This research aims, using a historical-analytical method and relying on parliamentary debates and existing documents, to answer this fundamental question: with the establishment of the constitutional system and the institution of the Parliament, what process did religious minorities undergo and what challenges did they face to achieve equal rights?
Despite the fact that the Parliament provided the possibility for people's representatives to present their demands and realize them, in practice, the election of representatives and the implementation of the principles of the Supplement to the Constitution did not occur easily for religious minorities, resulting in a challenging period for them.
The present research aims to examine the legal status of religious minorities and the course of their representatives' presence in the National Consultative Assembly from the Constitutional era to the formation of the Pahlavi government.
In the Electoral Regulations of the National Consultative Assembly, which reached the signature of Shah Muzaffar al-Din on 20 Rajab 1324 AH in thirty-two articles, there is not even a sign of an indirect reference to the right of religious minorities to vote or be elected.
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