56
in the parliament. The groupings manifested themselves
outside the parliament
125
as some religious groups –in
contemplation of a perception that the constitution would be
a threat to sharia law- joined the ranks of the Shah and his
entourage. Ethnic and religious groups demanded autonomy
and various fractions who had lost their rights and privileges
with coming of the new system began to raise their voice.
Right from the start, Mohammad Ali Shah
demonstrated his discontent with the parliament and the
constitution which he approved unwillingly and stood in
opposition to the movement. He appointed officials without
seeking approval of the parliament and he discharged grand
vizier and appointed Amin al-Soltan (or Atabak) to his seat.
Atabak stopped reporting to the parliament and the dispute
between the parliament and the Shah reached its peak when
the government attempted to get loans without reporting it to
the parliament. The Shah and his entourage began provoking
displeased groups with Russian endorsement. The
parliament was not able to stop protests and on the day of
signing the treaty between the British and Russia separating
Iran into two regions based on population, Grand Vizier
Amin al-Soltan was assassinated (31
st
August 1907). Taking
this opportunity, the Shah tried to abolish the parliament but
took a step back after pressure surged.
After an unsuccessful assassination
attempt targeting
the Shah in 1908, Mohammad Ali Shah staged a successful
coup with the support of Kazak troops of Russia despite the
resistance by the parliament. The parliament was abolished,
many members were arrested, and some of the ulema were
hanged while Bihbehanî was held in house confinement.
Those who could fled and opponents such as Takizâde and
Dihoda sought refuge in British embassy.
126
While these
developments were taking plance in Tehran, executive
committees around the country, particularly the one in
Tabriz tried to help but eventually failed. As
Mohammed Ali
125
For an analysis of parliament groups, see Ademiyet,
İdeoloji-ye
Nehzat-e Meşrutiyet-e İran, Cilt: I, ss. 359-369.
126
Many took refuge in the Ottoman embassy and consulates.While
secular intellectuals preferred the British embassy, merchants, artisans and
religious ulema preferred the Ottoman embassy and consulates due to the
fact that it was a Muslim country and it was
recommended by the ulema in
Najaf. Dawlatabadi,
Hayat-ı Yahya, Vol: III, pp. 62-63; Keddie
, op.cit.., p.
206; Abrahamian
, op.cit., s. 102; Afary,
op.cit., p. 135.