Day 2 - General Principles of the Constitution

Today, we will start reading the text of the Constitution itself, namely the Chapters I & II (Articles 1-18), which concern themselves with the basic principles of the Islamic government, the nature of the state, democracy, religious minorities, state language, national flag, script, calendar, etc. The importance of this part of the Constitution is hard to overestimate, as it uses crucial vocabulary and introduces the basic aspects of the Iranian state.

  1. Curriculum
  2. Intermediate Persian Syllabus
  3. Week 6 - Legal Persian (The Constitution)
  4. Day 2 - General Principles of the Constitution  

Readings: The text of the Chs. I & II of the Constitution: see pages 32-36 of the following PDF file. 

Listening: The original recording of the Majles-e Khobregan’s discussion on Article 15 (The Official Language) of the Constitution.

Subject of Conversation: The role of Islam in the Constitution of the IRI (نقشه ی اسلام در قانون اساسی جمهوری اسلامی ایران). 

In this session, students will discuss the role of Islam in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as outlined in the first two chapters. The conversation will explore how Islam shapes the political structure, legal system, and state identity. Students will be encouraged to reflect on specific articles, such as Articles 1, 2, and 12, and consider how the Constitution balances religious authority with democratic elements.

Homework: 
- Please carefully read the today’s text, study the vocabulary and translate the sections assigned by the instructor.
- Write a short paragraph (150–200 words in Persian) on how Islam is integrated into the Constitution based on what you read. Try to use at least 5 key vocabulary items from the text.
- Prepare for the next day’s discussion.