Cultural Defense in Iranian-American Criminal Justice System

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Abstract

In the process of criminal procedure, cultural defenses run among cultural minorities to preserve traditions and historical customs as well as internal unity.These methods are regarded as normal and acceptable in the relationships within the group, but they may be unacceptable to majority value judgment , Because they are not necessarily compatible with the majority ideological, cultural and social norms of the majority. Meanwhile, how majorities put up with or oppose minorities in a matter of importance in terms of acceptance or rejection of different cultures is significant.
This paper, as a Case study,tries to investigate the matter why cultural defenses are rejected merely due to their opposition to the majorities culture and religious norms,even though they are effective and perevent ethnic conflicts.
As a result , in the U.S. criminal justice system, despite the legislature's silence about the cultural defense, the criminal courts have considered in sentencing and cultural defense in some cases causing changes sentence reductions or mitigating.
In Iranian criminal justice system, legislator has rejected cultural differences of minority groups, and Criminal courts have adopted an absolute inacceptance approach to cultural defense

Keywords


بازگیر، ی. 1381. قواعد فقهی و حقوقی در آرای دیوانعالی کشور، تهران: دانش نگار.
خانیکی، ه. 1390. «گفت و گو و آیین آن»، مجله آیین گفتگو، 1(1): ص 5-4.
سعادت، ع. 1389. نقش اسلام در توسعه فرهنگی، چاپ اول، تهران: پژوهشگاه فرهنگ، هنر و ارتباطات.
سماوتی پیروز، ا. 1385. عدالت ترمیمی، تعدیل تدریجی عدالت کیفری یا تغییر آن، چاپ اول، تهران: نگاه بینه.
رضا دوست، س. 1389. حقوق فرهنگی(1)مفهوم شناسی، تهران: دفتر مطالعات فرهنگی مجلس شورای اسلامی.
ژاندرون، ژ. 1378. تساهل در تاریخ اندیشه غرب، ترجمة عباس باقری، چاپ اول، تهران: نشر نی.
فکوهی، ن. 1386. «خرده فرهنگ­­های اقلیتی و سبک زندگی، روندها و چشم اندازها»، فصلنامه تحقیقات فرهنگی، 1(1): ص 174-143. (مقاله)
گل محمدی، ا. 1381. جهانی شدن، فرهنگ، هویت، چاپ اول، تهران: نشر نی.
عباسی، م. 1382. افق­های نوین عدالت ترمیمی در میانجی­گری کیفری، چاپ اول، تهران: دانشور.
علوی، م.ت. 1383. عرف و عادت در حقوق اسلام و ایران، چاپ اول، انتشارات دانشگاه تبریز.
مطالعات ملی 1381. «میزگرد: گفتگو(1)»، فصلنامه مطالعات ملی، 12(3): ص 226-197.
مهدی­زاده، م. 1381. «رهیافت­های نظری گفتگوی بین فرهنگ­ها»، فصلنامه مطالعات ملی، 12(3): ص 115-91.
نوذرپور، ع. 1370. «مکانیزم کنترل اجتماعی نابهنجاریها (آیین فصل) در جامعه­ی عشیره­ای عرب ساکن خوزستان»، مجلة رشد علوم اجتماعی، 8(2) ص 51-44.
Beckett ,Clare and Macey, Marie (2001), Race, Gender and Sexuality: The oppression of Multiculturalism,Womens Studies International Forum,Vol.24,No.3/4.
Broady Preiss, Joshua(2011)” Multiculturalism and Equal Human Dignity: An Essay on Bhikhu Parekh”, Res Publication(17).
Daina C.chiu(1994), The cultural defense : Beyond Exclusion, Assimilation and Guilty Liberalism, 82CAL.L.Rev.Available at : http://Scholarship.Law .berkeley.edu/Californialawreview/vol82/iss4/9.
Dietz ,Gunther (2007),Cultural Diversity ,Zeitschrift fur Erziehungswissenschaft,10,Jahrg,Heft 1.
Esman,M (2004),An Introduction to Ethnic conflicts, Cambridge Polit Press.
Irzik, Gurol and Irzik, Sibel(2002), Which Multiculturalism?, Science and Education(11).
Gidoomal, R (2003),Multicultural societies and futures of dialogue,Science direct, Futures 35. Elsevier.
Jie Qi (2011),Diversity and multiculturalism in Japan: what is called into question?,Educational Research Policy Practice,10.
Kakar, Suman (2006),Underastanding the causes of disproportionate minority contact: Results of  focus group discussions”, Journal of Criminal Justice.
Maiz ,R, et al (2006),Multiculturalism, Muslims and Citizenship, A European Approach,Taylor and Francis Group,London and New York.
Maiz, R, Requejo, F (2005), Democracy , Nationalism and Multiculturalism, Frank Cass Publishers,London and New York.
McGoldrick, Dominic(2005),Multiculturalism and its Discontents,Human Rights Law Review5:1.Oxford University Press.
Meetoo, Veena, et al (2007),There is noting honourable about honour killings: Gender, violence and the limits of multiculturalism, Womens Studies Internatinal Forum 30.
Modood, Taniq, et al (2006),Multiculturalism, Muslims and Citizenship, A European Approach,Taylor and Francis Group,London and New York.
Mullally, Siobhan (2004), Feminism and Multicultural Dilemmas in India: Revisiting the Shah Bano Case, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, Vol. 24, No.4.
Raday, Frances (2003), Cultural, religion and gender, Oxford University Press and New York University School of Law, Vol. 1, No.4.
Renteln, Alison Dundes(2005), The Use and Abuse of the cultural Defense, Canadian Journal of Law and Society, Vol 20,No 1.
Richardson ,James (1999), Social Justice and Minority Religions: A Sociological Introduction, Social Justice Research,Vol.12.No.4.
Schalk-Soekar ,S. R.G. et al (2004), Attitudes toward multiculturalism of immigrants and majority members in the Netherlands,International Journal of Intercultural Relations 28.
Song, S (2007), Justice, Gender, and the Politics of Multiculturalism, Cambridge University Press.
Torry ,W. I (2001), Social change, crime, and cultural: The defense of provocation, Crime, Law and social change 36,Kluwer Academic Publishers,Netherland.
Winter ,Bronwyn (2006),Religion, cultural and womens human rights:Some general political and theoretical considerations, Womens Studies International Forum29.
UNESCO(2009), The role of Media in Intercultural Dialogue, Retrieved from UNESCO: http:// www.unesco .org/new/en/communication-and-information/flagship-project-activities/world-press-freedom-day/previous-celebrations/worldpressfreedomday200900/themes/the –role-of- media – in-intercultural-dialogue.
UNESCO(2010), world Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, 21 May, Retrieved from UNESCO: http:// www.unesco .org.uk/world-day-for- cultural-diversity- and- development, 21 may.
Van Broeck, Jeroen  (2001), Cultural defense and Culturally Motivated crimes (Cultural offences), European Journal of crime, Criminal law and Criminal Justise, Vol.9/1.