I’m currently reading Radical Islam's Rules
"…the first and second amendments to the constitution were added, showing that the revolution never effectively relegated shari’a to the periphery.
First Amendment: The State Religion of Iran is Islam as in Twelve Shi’ism, and the King must abide by, and promulgate this religion.
Second Amendment: The National Assembly, which has been established with the assistance of the Hidden Imam (may God hasten His arrival), the benevolence of His Royal Highness the King of Kings of Islam (may God make his reign everlasting), the Islamic heirarchy (may God increase their abundance), and masses of the Iranian nation, must not at any time pass any law that would be in contradiction with the holy provisions of Islam of the laws of His Holiness Muhammad, the Best of the Peoples (Peace be upon him). It is evident that to determine whether passed laws are in conflict with Islamic laws or not is the expertise of the prominent clerics (May God render everlasting the joy of their presence). Therefore, it is hereby enjoined that in all times a council will be appointed with no fewer than five members and consisting of pious jurists who are also aware of the necessity of the times. This will be done in the following manner: The prominent clerics, the Proofs of Islam, and the Shi’a Source of Emulation* will submit the names of twenty clerics who possess the aforementioned qualifications to the National Assembly. The members of the National Assembly will, either through reaching a consensus, or by a lottery, appoint five or more of the candidates as members of this council. As members of this council they will review and debate the measures that are discussed in the National Assembly, and they will reject the measures that they find to be in breach of the Islamic laws. … The ruling of this council will be final. This Amendment to the Constitution cannot be altered until the advent of the Hidden Imam (may God hasten His arrival).
The constitutionalists’ modernist tendency stirred also fierce opposition in religious circles … The traditionalist leaders, especially Shaykh Fadlu’llah Nuri, a well-known jurist, called for the creation of a "shari’a-based government." On the other side were the adherents of constitutional rule, including a number of liberal-minded clerics. They avoided confrontation by compromise and agreed to the addition of the first two amendments to the constitution. However, the proponents of constitutional rule resented Shaykh Nuri’s opposition and, once they got the chance, executed him by hanging.
On the surface, it seemed that "shari’a-based government" had emerged victorious. However, its victory was limited to these two amendments. Furthermore, the second amendment proved neither effective nor practical and, over time, was marginalized. In practice, the secularization of the legislative process continued, even to the point that the five jurists of the overseeing council were consulted.
The proconstitution forces were thus able to neutralize the two amendments without repealing them. However, some representatives still had their own personal religious convictions, which thus limited the secularization of legislation. For example, the members of Parliament did not accept the secular legislation on women’s rights. Successive Parliaments following the revolution had been expected to improve women’s conditions but failed to do so. In fact, they enacted laws that explicitly denied suffrage to women. Based on shari’a or, rather, the representatives’ understanding of shari’a, women were lumped together with minors and the mentally ill and were denied the right to vote or be elected to office."
*Translator’s note: Sources of Emulation are Shi’a jurists who achieve high recognition and are accepted as independent interpreters of the shari’a.