O Irão em busa de moderação

Iran’s woes have been exacerbated by Shia clerics’ frequent depiction of Shia Islam as pure and authentic. Iranian commentaries reject the extremism of Daesh and use the term takfiri as a scornful reminder of Daesh labeling of other Muslims as kafir. At the same time, the predominant view points to the ideological connection between Daesh and Sunni Islam (especially Wahhabism). Sunni Islam is delegitimized and belittled as imperfect and a sectarian deviation. This exclusivist approach is a mirror image of other religiousexclusivist claims to the truth. Iranian leaders use Islam and Shia interchangeably and reinforce the message that other sects in Islam are false and illegitimate. In this harsh regional environment, Rouhani’s agenda of running a government of moderation and wisdom has come under severe strain from forces outside his control. Iran’s deep involvement in the sectarian conflict has served the hardliners’ Manichean position depicting Iran’s regional rivals working in concert with the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran. This dominant narrative imposes serious limitations on Rouhani’s efforts to find a diplomatic solution to Iran’s international isolation. Complaints of pervasive “Iranophobia” by Foreign Minister Zarif is a symptom of how the ideological narrative permeates Iran’s engagement with the outside world. This unfavorable international environment makes the objective of normalizing Iran’s standing in the international community harder to achieve. Ahahram Akbarzadeh