Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0180/01805.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 9KB | 193 lines

$Unique_ID{COW01805}
$Pretitle{268}
$Title{Iran
Glossary}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Joseph A. Kechian and Houman Sadri}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{development
religious
march
countries
international
plan
islamic
barrels
ibrd
shia}
$Date{1987}
$Log{}
Country:     Iran
Book:        Iran, A Country Study
Author:      Joseph A. Kechian and Houman Sadri
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1987

Glossary

barrels per day--Production of crude oil and petroleum products is frequently
measured in barrels per day, often abbreviated bpd or bd. A barrel is a volume
measure of forty-two United States gallons. Conversion of barrels to tons
depends on the density of the specific product. About 7.3 barrels of average
crude oil weigh one ton. Heavy crude would be about seven barrels per ton.
Light products, such as gasoline and kerosene, average close to eight barrels
per ton.

beg--A tribal leader; term is used by some Turkic-speaking tribes.

development plan--Iran's development plans have been of varying length and had
various names. The plans and their dates under Mohammad Reza Shah were as
follows: First Development Plan--September 21, 1948, to September 20, 1955;
Second Development Plan--September 21, 1955, to September 20, 1962; Third
Development Plan--September 21, 1962, to March 20, 1968; Fourth Development
Plan--March 21, 1968, to March 20, 1973; and Fifth Development Plan--March 21,
1973, to March 20, 1978. The Sixth Development Plan, beginning March 21, 1978,
was never completed because of the 1979 Revolution. The First Development Plan
of the Islamic Republic ran from March 21, 1983, through March 20, 1988.

faqih--An expert in religious jurisprudence, specifically a Shia cleric whose
mastery of the Quran, the traditions of the Prophet and the Twelve Imans, and
the codices of Shia Islamic law permit him to render binding interpretations
of religious laws and regulations.

fiscal year (FY)--Corresponds to the Iranian calendar year, which begins March
21 and ends March 20.

gross domestic product (GDP)--The total value of goods and services produced
within a country's borders during a fixed period, usually one year. Obtained
by adding the value contributed by each sector of the economy in the form of
compensation of employees, profits, and depreciation (consumption of capital).
Subsistence production is included and consists of the imputed value of
production by the farm family for its own use and the imputed rental value of
owner-occupied dwellings.

gross national product (GNP)--Gross domestic product (q.v.) plus the income
received from abroad by residents, less payments remitted abroad to
nonresidents.

hadith--Tradition based on the precedent of Muhammad's words that serves as
one of the sources of Islamic Law (shariat).

hejab--Modesty in attire; defined by the Shia clergy to mean that women and
girls must cover all their hair and flesh except for hands and face when in
public. It is not necessary to wear a chador (a cloth serving as a cloak) to
conform with hejab, although the two terms often are equated.

hezbollahi--Literally, a follower of the party of God. Hezbollahis originally
were followers of a particular religious figure who eventually came to
constitute an unofficial political party. They were not an irregular or
paramilitary group.

imam--Among Twelver Shias the principal meaning is a designation of one of the
twelve legitimate successors of the Prophet Muhammad. Also used by both Shias
(q.v.) and Sunnis (q.v.) to designate a congregational prayer leader or
cleric.

International Monetary Fund (IMF)--Established along with the World Bank
(q.v.) in 1945, the IMF is a specialized agency affiliated with the United
Nations and is responsible for stabilizing international exchange rates and
payments. The main business of the IMF is the provision of loans to its
members (including industrialized and developing countries) when they
experience balance of payments difficulties. These loans frequently carry
conditions that require substantial internal economic adjustments by the
recipients, most of which are developing countries.

Islamic clergy--The religious leaders of Shia (q.v.) Islam, which group
includes numerous mullahs (q.v.), who in general possess only rudimentary
religious education; mujtahids, a relatively small body of religious scholars,
the majority of whom are accorded the title of hojjatoleslam; and a small
number of the most learned and pious of the mujtahids, who are given the title
of ayatollah.

jihad--The struggle to establish the law of God on earth, often interpreted to
mean holy war.

kadkhuda--The village headman in rural Iran; also used as the title for
leaders of some tribal clans.

madraseh--A religious college or seminary that trains men in Islamic
jurisprudence.

mahriyeh--An agreed upon amount of money and/or property that a groom provides
his bride as specified in the marriage contract.

Majlis--the term is used in two senses: the legislative body of imperial Iran,
which included both a senate--composed of members appointed by the shah and
elected members--and an elected lower house of representatives; and, the lower
house alone. The Senate provided for in the constitution did not come into
existence until 1950; the Senate was dissolved under Mossadeq but was revived
later. Khomeini's revolutionary Constitution of 1979 eliminated the Senate,
leaving only the lower house, or Majlis, in existence.

maktab--Primary school operated by Shia clergy.

mostazafin--Literally, the disinherited; originally a religious term for the
poor, which has become popularized.

mullah--Generic term for a member of the Islamic clergy; usually refers to a
preacher or other low-ranking cleric who has not earned the right to interpret
religious laws.

muta--A temporary marriage, the duration of which is stipulated by contract.
Only Twelver Shias (q.v.) recognize muta marriages.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)--Coordinates petroleum
policies of thirteen major producing countries. In early 1987 members included
Algeria, Ecuador, Gabon, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.

rial--Iranian currency. Average official rate in 1987 was 71.46 rials to US $1.
Official exchange rate, as of December 19, 1984, is determined daily based on
Special Drawing Right (q.v.) rial rate and applies to all foreign exchange
transactions. In practice, the unofficial black market rate is as much as ten
times the official exchange rate.

shariat (sharia in Arabic)--Islamic canon law. Among Shias (q.v.) the shariat
includes the Quran and the authenticated sayings of the Prophet (hadith) and
the Twelve Imams (q.v.).

shaykh--Leader or chief. Term is used by Iranian Arabs for tribal chiefs and
by Lurs and Kurds for religious leaders.

Shia (or Shiite)--A member of the smaller of the two great divisions of Islam.
The Shias supported the claims of Ali and his line to presumptive right to the
caliphate and leadership of the world Muslim community, and on this issue they
divided from the Sunnis (q.v.) in the first great schism of Islam. Later
schisms have produced further divisions among the Shias.

Special Drawing Right (SDR)--A standardized monetary unit used by the
International Monetary Fund (q.v.). It is standardized against all currencies
using it instead of the home country's currency and is drawn from a pool of
contributions by member countries.

Sunni--A member of the larger of the two great divisions of Islam. The Sunnis,
who rejected the claim of Ali's line, believe that they are the true followers
of the sunna, the guide to proper behavior composed of the Quran and the
hadith (q.v.).

topping plant--A plant that removes only the lightest commodity from crude
oil.

velayat-e faqih--The guardianship of the religious jurist. Concept elaborated
by Ayatollah Khomeini to justify political rule by the clergy.

White Revolution--Term used by Mohammad Reza Shah Pa