The Foroughi Paradox

In the heart of early 20th-century Iran, amid the tremors of revolution, reform, and resistance, stood a towering figure-Mohammad Ali Foroughi. Statesman, scholar, and visionary, Foroughi sought to bridge the chasm between Iran’s rich Islamic heritage and the urgent demands of modernity. The Foroughi Paradox traces his turbulent journey through political upheaval, his fraught alliance with Reza Shah, and his courageous push for a democratic, enlightened Iran.

Drawing from his seminal work The Future of Iran, this gripping narrative examines Foroughi’s call for educational reform, gender equality, and religious engagement-while chronicling his clashes with conservative clerics, leftist movements, and the weight of imperial influence. His intellectual legacy, shaped by translations of Plato, Aristotle, and Rousseau, offers a blueprint for reconciling tradition with transformation.