An Analytical Examination of Ideologization of Religion from Ali Shariati’s Perspective

Ideologization of religion represents one of the important achievements of Ali Shariti, which played a crucial part in the advent of the Islamic Revolution and mobilizing the Iranian masses. This ideological thinking was embraced by religious intellectuals in the first decade after the Islamic Revolution and most of political parties and groups supported such ideological thinking and value-oriented worldview. This paper attempts to examine the effects of such ideologization of religion and its repercussions and side-effects as well as the positions taken by those who object to such an idea. Through an analytical and critical lens, this hypothesis is tested that the idea of ideologization of religion not only does not lead to the domination of dogmatism and fanaticism, but conversely it will cause dynamism, thought perfection and purposeful conduct (praxis).