Iranian Constitution Essay

Not to state the obvious, but there is a lot that goes into creating a government. The central focus of this paper are the differences and similarities between two very different nations’ constitutions: The United States of America and The Islamic Republic of Iran. A constitution is a document that entails the fundamental rules that govern a land and establish its structure, values, and limitations. On the surface, the American constitution (1787) and the Iranian constitution (1979) are similar in that they both ensure a president who is elected from majority rule, a legislature, and a powerful judiciary. However, there are far more differences in the organization of their governments than similarities, and this can be accredited to their different

These differences in governing are evident from the beginning when one compares the two preambles. The American preamble emphasizes that the government will do its very best to protect its citizens so long as its citizens abide by the law and help protect the nation when they are called to do so. In the Iranian preamble, the central focus is their religious beliefs. Their constitution states that Iran aims to “advance the cultural, social, political and economic institutions of Iranian society based on Islamic principles.” Their constitution is supposed to be a guide to heaven. The idea is that people who follow the law are promised to go to heaven because they are following the constitution which serves quite like a religious doctrine for

It places many negative rights on government officials, for example, no quartering soldiers in time of war. While also promising many positive rights such as freedom of speech, to bare arms, religion and much more. In contrast, Iranian citizens do not have the right to decide what religion they choose to be. If one is born in Iran, he or she is immediately classified as a believer of the Islamic faith. I have a personal experience that ties into the lack of religious freedom in Iran. One summer, I went to visit my family, which I so love to do. A family friend and I were talking when she told me I was a Muslim—flat out told me what I believed. And I think it’s because they are so used to being told what they believe and having a single, national religion forcibly taught to them is why she had a hard time understanding that I in fact, was not a Muslim. There are very many people who used to believe in the Muslim faith before the revolution but now that the government uses their religion as an excuse to harm its people, I know countless people who have shied away from