On February 8-10, 2010, at the initiative of the Center for Eurasian and International Studies of Kazan State University, Imam Khomeini International University (Qazvin, Iran), the Iranian Cultural Center at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Moscow, an international scientific conference "The Islamic Revolution in Iran: a civilizational phenomenon and its prospects" was held in Kazan. Its purpose was to understand the experience of the development of the Islamic Republic of Iran over the past three decades, the country's domestic and foreign policy at the present stage and in the historical perspective. The forum was organized and conducted by the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kazan, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan, Aka-

I. R. Gibadullin and B. M. Yagudin participated in the preparation of this review.

Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Organization of Solidarity and Cooperation with the Peoples of Asia and Africa (republican branch), Society of Orientalists of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Islamic University.

The scientific community was represented at the conference by experts from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, RUDN University, and Moscow State UniversityMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics, St. Petersburg.St. Petersburg Center for the Study of the Modern Middle East, Department of Political Science of the European Humanities University (Vilnius, Lithuania), L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (Astana, Kazakhstan), etc. The Institute of Oriental Studies was represented by the head of the Department. CBSS Sector of Iran N. M. Mammadova, E. V. Dunayeva, L. M. Ravandi-Fadai, V. I. Sazhin, Fasih Baderkhan, G. I. Starchenkov.

The conference was attended not only by Russian and foreign scientists, but also statesmen: Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Z. R. Valeeva, Director of the Department of External Relations of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan T. Y. Akulov; on the Iranian side - Iranian Ambassador to Russia Seyed Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi, member of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rahimpour Azgadi, Consul General of Iran in Kazan Reza Baghban Kondori, Rector of Imam Khomeini International University Abdolali Alibuye, as well as public figures, diplomats, representatives of the Republican authorities and Muslim clergy. Interaction between representatives of the Russian and Iranian scientific communities has created conditions for a constructive exchange of ideas and dialogue between the two countries. The conference participants managed to cover a wide range of topics and issues of a scientific and practical nature, most of which were considered on an interdisciplinary basis.

The following thematic blocks were discussed: "The Victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the Establishment of the Islamic Republic: a View 30 years later"; "The political System of the Islamic Republic of Iran: the relationship between religious and secular elements"; "The Political Process in modern Iran: the Confrontation of Ideas and power elites"; "Iran's Foreign Policy: Multi-vector approach and priorities"; "Iran in the system of regional Relations: Security and Cooperation issues"; "Iran's nuclear program: the agenda"; "Military and Political Potential of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the present stage"; "Social Transformations in Modern Iran"; "Trends in Iran's Economic Dynamics in the context of Globalization"; "Women in Iranian Society"; "Achievements in the field of culture during the existence of the Islamic Republic of Iran (1979-2010) "; "Spiritual and political legacy of Imam Khomeini in the modern world"; "Dialogue of Civilizations and Sunni-Shiite rapprochement"; "Iran in the mirror of futurological forecasts"; "Iranian civilization: cultural specifics in the world of Islam"; "Philosophical Discourses of Islamic Iran"; "Russian-Iranian relations: search for mutually beneficial cooperation"; "The place of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russian-Iranian relations".

Opening the conference, KSU Rector M. H. Salakhov noted that this conference dedicated to Iran is being held at Kazan University at such a high level for the first time. And this is not surprising - Kazan University has always been and remains a major center of Iranian studies not only in Russia, but also in the world.

Z. R. Valeeva emphasized that Tatarstan and Iran have deep historical and cultural ties, and the influence of Persian culture on Tatar culture is so great that it is impossible to imagine the latter without the former. It is not surprising that the field of Iranian studies in Kazan has favorable conditions for its development.

Akulov highly appreciated the Tatarstan-Iranian relations in the sphere of economy and trade. According to him, both Iran and Tatarstan still do not fully use all the opportunities for diversifying relations between the republics in order to expand and deepen them. This conference will give an impetus to scientists to consider promising ways of developing the integration mechanisms of Iran and Tatarstan to strengthen mutual ties in all areas: economy, trade, science, education, and culture.

The main speaker at the plenary session was Hassan Rahimpour Azgadi. The well-known ideologist of Iran, H. Azgadi, has direct access to Rahbar Ali Khamenei , the spiritual leader of Iran. His opinion is often the opinion of Rahbar himself. It should also be noted that many of the competent participants in the conference quite seriously said that H. R. Azgadi could become the next president of Iran after the end of the term of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2013. In his report "The Islamic Revolution as a global factor", H. R. Azgadi made it clear that the Islamic Revolution of 1979 should be considered not as a national event, but as a social event.-

an event of global significance. Many, he noted, mistakenly perceive the Islamic revolution as Shiite. That's not so. The Islamic revolution was a general Muslim phenomenon, the goal of which was to awaken the Islamic world so that it would get rid of the colonial influence of the West and become a center for the whole world. H. Azgadi gave its philosophical interpretation, linking the emergence of revolutions with the world project "modern", the beginning of which he attributed to the time of the French revolution. In his opinion, the era of modernity ended as a result of the Islamic revolution in Iran, and after it came the era of "postmodernity". H. Azgadi interprets the Islamic revolution as the third, after the French and Russian, and the next, fourth-generation revolutions, in his opinion, will take place under the influence of the ideals of the Islamic revolution in Iran.

President of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan A. M. Mazgarov shared the experience of cooperation between the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan and Iranian research institutions. In his opinion, this process should be expanded and ties between Tatarstan and Iranian scientists should be intensified.

Russian participants of the conference were more critical in their assessments of both the Islamic revolution and its consequences for Iran and the entire Middle East region.

In her report "Experience of economic development under Islamic rule", N. M. Mammadova described such a phenomenon as the Islamic economy on the example of Iran. She analyzed various stages of the evolution of the Iranian economic model, considered the dynamics of economic development, various parameters of the country's economy and its features. However, according to N. M. Mammadova, the functioning of the Iranian model, even during the period of autarkic features prevailing in it, did not slow down the speed of the globalization process. Thirty years of experience in the development of Iran has shown that in the period of globalization, despite the preservation of the Islamic specifics of the Iranian economic model and the difficult relations of Iran with the outside world, general trends in global development are beginning to play an increasingly important role in its formation. And their use is more effective than opposing them.

V. I. Yurtaev (RUDN University) in his report "Is it possible to modernize Iran", recognizing that the first decade of the XXI century was marked by the strengthening of the "Islamic factor" in world politics, noted that this can be explained both by the desire of Muslims to regain their former greatness, and as a consequence of the tension that arose along the border of the world of Islam due tofor Iran's nuclear program and Al-Qaeda's terrorist activities. In his opinion, the actualization of conflicts largely reflects the continuing lack of competitiveness of the Islamic model of government, and for Iran calls into question either the principle of "rule by a just Islamic jurist" (velayat-e faqih) put forward by Imam Khomeini, or the correctness of its implementation in a rapidly changing world. Iran's domestic policy in the face of foreign policy pressure. In his opinion, the alternative represented by opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who lost the June 2009 elections in Iran to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, cannot be perceived as a vector of modernization of the country.

S. B. Druzhilovsky (MGI(U)) continued the discussionMO) with the report "On the evolution and nature of Russian-Iranian relations". He noted that in view of Tehran's strained relations with Western countries, Iran will inevitably seek to find a partner in the international arena. And this role is suitable for Russia, which is trying to pursue an independent policy, not following in unison with the course of the United States. However, S. B. Druzhilovsky warned against possible illusions about the" romance " between Tehran and Moscow: "Iran defends its interests and, as long as it benefits from Russia's support, it will try in every possible way to make curtsies in its direction. But this should not mislead the Kremlin. Because at the right moment, when it is profitable for Iran, it can turn sideways to Russia. An example is its policy in the Muslim republics of the CIS, where Tehran is trying to oust Moscow, taking its place as a foreign policy factor of influence. The same can be said about the Caspian basin, where Iran seeks to get a large area of its shelf, although this does not correspond to its geographical borders."

Akad devoted his speech to comparing the experience of revolutions in Iran and Russia. Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan I. R. Tagirov. He noted the significance of the events of 1917 and 1979 for both countries and for the whole world - Russia and Iran demonstrated an alternative development option. The speaker defined the character of both revolutions as Messianic: both the Bolsheviks and Islamists were opposed to the Russian revolution.-

they wanted to build a new world, and they planned to do it not for a single country, but for the whole of humanity.

The topic of the speech of the rector of the Russian Islamic University R. M. Mukhametshin is the influence of the Shiite factor on Russian Muslims. Russian Shiites, represented mainly by ethnic Azerbaijanis, are not organized into an independent structure. There are a lot of difficulties in this area: all Muslim organizations in Russia, whether it is the Council of Muftis of Russia, the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia or the Coordination Center of Muslims of the North Caucasus, are structures that unite Sunnis. And here there is a problem, because the disorganization of Shiites (as well as the ambiguity for them, which of the organizations they need to obey), if you take into account the competition between Sunni associations, can lead to the fact that they will fall under foreign influence, which may, for example, become Iran (if it has not already become).

The presentations of many Iranian participants, who mainly represented the Imam Khomeini International University in Qazvin, were different in terms of scientific analysis and did not go beyond official assessments. They tried to avoid many "acute" issues, denouncing the United States and Israel as the culprits of all the troubles. According to some Russian participants of the conference, the criticism of the regime by Iranian scientists was not constructive enough. As a result of discussion discussions, Moscow Iranists got the impression that the opinions expressed by Qazvin's scholars were answers to the internal political events in Iran, to the correlation of the ideas of the green movement that unfolded in 2009 and the tasks set by the Iranian revolution of 1979.

A special section was devoted to the issue of the religious factor in Iran's domestic and foreign policy. Moreover, the religious factor was considered not only through the prism of the role of Shiism, but also much more broadly, touching upon issues of Judaism, Orthodoxy, and Sunni Islam.

Anti-Zionism, expressed in non-recognition of Israel's right to exist, has been the general line of Iran's foreign policy since 1979. Tehran, taking an anti-Israel course, seeks to unite all anti-Zionist forces and movements around itself. One such movement is the ultra-orthodox Jewish sect Neturei Karta. The report of R. R. Suleymanov (Tatarstan) was devoted to the history of contacts between anti-Zionist Judaism and the government of Iran.

Issues of interrelation of the theological systems of Orthodoxy and Shiism were considered by Ya. A. Amelina (Institute of National Strategy). She touched upon the closeness of Orthodox and Shiite theology, as well as the problems of political Shiism in modern Russia. Ya.A. Amelina also drew attention to such a curious fact as the reaction in Iran to the independence of South Ossetia. The emergence of an independent ethnically close state (Ossetians and Iranians (Persians) are Aryan peoples) was positively perceived in Iran at the level of socio-political discourse in the country, however, no official statements or even diplomatic recognition were made by official Tehran.

L. M. Ravandi-Fadai (IB RAS) analyzed in detail the opposition of Shiite sects in modern Iran. In her opinion, in Iran there is a competition among the theological doctrines of modern Shiism, each of which seeks to monopolize the legacy of Ayatollah Khomeini, considering themselves the only true interpreters of his teachings. In the report "The reaction of Muslims of Tatarstan to the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979", Deputy Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan. Mufti of Tatarstan V. M. Yakupov gave an assessment of the perception of the 1979 Islamic Revolution by Tatars. He believes that the significance of this event is overly exaggerated. Tatarstan (or rather, the TASSR) did not react to the revolution in Iran in any way. Under the conditions of the Soviet system, it was extremely difficult for the Muslims of the Volga region to maintain contact with the world Ummah, and even more so to express publicly an independent opinion on world processes in the foreign Islamic world. But V. M. Yakupov was categorical about the presence of Shiites in modern Tatarstan and their demand to open a Shiite mosque: neither the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan, nor the state bodies in Kazan will take this step. Everyone is well aware that this will be clearly perceived as an increase in Iran's presence in the Volga region, which both Moscow and Kazan do not want (and sometimes rightly fear).

Further, the conference was divided into sections.

The section "The nuclear program and military-political potential of the Islamic Republic of Iran" caused the most questions and even led to a "soft" scandal following the results of the meeting.-

managing its work. The main report was delivered by V. I. Sazhin (Institute of Physics and Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences), author of the acclaimed book "Iran, Uranium and Missiles" (Moscow)., 2009). He was repeatedly quoted by Iranian participants who disagree with the author's conclusions regarding the non-peaceful nature of Tehran's nuclear program. In the report, he explained in detail that the process of creating nuclear weapons by Iran will take another 5-7 years, and the fact that the Iranians are creating them is unequivocal, and Tehran's statements about the peaceful nature of its nuclear program should be classified as propaganda. According to V. I. Sazhin, the Iranian example can be perceived by more than a dozen so-called threshold countries, many of which are or will become participants in regional conflicts, ignoring the deterrent factor of the NPT. In addition, even the real possibility of developing nuclear weapons in Iran will make the country's leadership even less accommodating to the international community and more expansionist towards its neighbors in the region. It can be assumed with a high degree of probability that the atomic bomb is being made by Iran primarily as a political weapon. Therefore, it is impossible not to take into account the fact that it can become the main tool of blackmail in Tehran's policy of implementing doctrinal guidelines regarding the export of the revolution.

Four other speakers addressed the session, who looked at Iran's nuclear program from different angles, but all agreed that the ultimate goal of Tehran is to create nuclear weapons. The only question is: how much right does Iran have to create it? Here the participants of the section were divided: some believed that Iran, as well as any other state, has the right to create one, while others cited the fact that Israel, Iran's main geopolitical opponent in the Middle East, has nuclear weapons as a legitimacy of the military nature of Tehran's nuclear program, but all were convinced that Iran intends to join the club of nuclear powers in the near future.

This topic was the subject of intense discussion, which broke out at a press conference dedicated to the results of the conference. The head of the Iranian delegation, H. R. Azgadi, launched an angry attack on those who believe that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. He said that according to the Koran, Muslims are strictly forbidden to create weapons of mass destruction and that the Islamic Republic of Iran, which builds its domestic and foreign policy on the basis of Sharia, will never go to the production of an atomic bomb. He strongly opposed the fact that Iran's nuclear program is interpreted around the world as a militaristic project. But not everyone was convinced by his emotional speech.

Surprisingly, the section "Women in Iranian Society" was represented by only women. The main speaker was E. V. Dunayeva (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences), and the topic of her speech was the change in the social status of women in Iran after 1979.

The section "Iran and Tatarstan: Centuries-old ties and modernity"was devoted to the issues of communication between the two republics, which was discussed at the plenary session by Tatarstan officials. There were presentations by scientists from Kazan concerning the economic relations between the two republics (V. V. Khomenko), the study and teaching of the history of Iran in Tatarstan (A. A. Burkhanov), the Persian language in Kazan universities (F. Sh. Akulova), achievements in the field of academic Iranian studies (A. A. Arslanova), the cultural expansion of Iran into the Tatar holiday culture (V. A. Vorontsov), the influence of Shiism on Tatar theology (S. D. Shagavnev), and the response of Sunnism to the idea of intra-community dialogue (R. R. Gabbasov). The participants of the section suggested the need to create a Department of Iranian Studies at the Volga Federal University, which is being formed on the basis of Kazan University. Unfortunately, the centers of Iranian studies scattered across various scientific and educational institutions in Kazan cannot fully train qualified specialists in Iran. The Department of Iranian Studies could solve this problem.

Questions: what is the place of Iran among world civilizations (R. F. Mukhametdinov), what are the ways of development of modern Iran (V. P. Ulanov), and what are the stages of the Iranian civilization? (I. M. Gabdulgafarova) - became the subject of discussions of scientists from Kazan at the section "Islamic Revolution-a factor of civilizational specificity of Iran".

The section "The Political Process in Modern Iran: the Confrontation of ideas and power elites" brought together experts on the country's domestic policy. E. V. Dunayeva spoke about the balance of power in the domestic political arena of the Islamic Republic; S. Bogdan (European Humanitarian. University of Lithuania) made a report on who can be called "right" and who can be called "left" in Iran and how these two camps coexist in the context of the unity of the Islamic regime. What are political parties in modern Iran and how does the process of partisanship work?-

go construction is the theme of L. M. Ravandi-Fadai's speech. She noted that none of the parties in modern Iran fit the classical definition of a party as an organization with a specific program, and that party organizations differ from each other in terms of their performance in terms of factionalism rather than partisanship.

The participants of the section "Iran in the system of regional relations of the Eurasian countries" reviewed the influence of Iran on the domestic and foreign policy of the Greater Middle East region in their reports. Iran's influence is very significant in security issues in Central Asian countries (V. N. Plastun, Novosibirsk), and may also be a factor of regional stability in relation to Turkey (B. M. Yagudin, Kazan). Iran has strategic interests in the South Caucasus (A. G. Bolshakov), in the Caspian region (G. B. Liparteliani); Iran has uneasy relations with the countries of the Arab East, especially after 1979. (Fasih Baderhan, YVES RAN and Amad al-Ahmad, Iran). The process of forming a new union of China, Iran and Russia (L. P. Chernikova) is accompanied by a struggle between them for influence in the post-Soviet space in relation to Kazakhstan (A. E. Omirzak), Uzbekistan (R. R. Nazarov), Tajikistan (V. Y. Kurshakov), and Armenia (V. A. Shagalov). The problems of Iran's complex relations with its Arab neighbors, including religious ones, were considered by Fasih Baderkhan (YVES RAS), offering his own vision of their normalization.

Special mention should be made of such an event that took place at the conference as the presentation of the collection of selected speeches of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ("Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Favorites"), which was published in Russian for the first time. Kazan, 2010). The presentation was conducted by I. B. Gibadullin, a translator of the Iranian leader's speeches.

As a result of the conference, its participants adopted a resolution stating the need for a comprehensive study of the phenomenon of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Given its role in the Middle East region, it is necessary to involve a wide range of specialists of various disciplinary fields in its understanding. This requires regular and systematic contact between Russian and Iranian scientists. In turn, the presence of scientific and intercultural dialogue will become a prerequisite for expanding trade and economic ties between the two countries. It was emphasized that it is important to take into account the specifics of Tatarstan as a Muslim region of Russia, which has the greatest potential for the development of Russian-Iranian relations, expressed in the commonality of religious values and historical heritage.

The forum participants were offered an extensive cultural program: a visit to Kazan State University, a meeting with the rector of KSU M. H. Salakhov, an excursion to the Kazan Kremlin, a visit to the Center for Eurasian and International Studies. The Iranian participants met with the President of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan A. M. Mazgarov and the Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan Mufti Gusman Hazrat Iskhakov. But the most profound, vivid and indelible impression was left by the excursion to the Museum of History of Kazan State University. The exposition of the main hall (the former university church), which has over one and a half thousand exhibits, including many unique relics, introduces visitors to the history of one of the oldest universities in Russia.

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