Ayatollah-ism

It is safe to say that the sudden, disruptive rise of Islam in Iran surprised most Western observers. They were used to the photographs of President Carter embracing the Shah, to the stories of oil wealth, to the assurances that the Shah was modernizing. They really should not have been surprised, though. Islamic fervor has never abated, although its political influence has undergone periodic ebbs and flows.

Consider the trend now. Islam thrives in Turkey, in spite of Ataturk, and the current Turkish rulers worry about a revolt of their own Ayatollahs. Long before the Shah was exiled from Iran, the Afghans successfully resisted the Western reforms of King Amanullah, who was forced to abdicate and was exiled. His successor, Nadir Shah, suffered a worse fate; he was murdered by a Moslem zealot. Now the Afghans are fighting a “holy war” against the Communist regime of Taraki.

EK

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Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn

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It is safe to say that the sudden, disruptive rise of Islam in Iran surprised most Western observers. They were used to the photographs of President Carter embracing the Shah, to the stories of oil wealth, to the assurances that the Shah was modernizing. They really should not have been surprised, though. Islamic fervor has never abated, although its political influence has undergone periodic ebbs and flows.

Consider the trend now. Islam thrives in Turkey, in spite of Ataturk, and the current Turkish rulers worry about a revolt of their own Ayatollahs. Long before the Shah was exiled from Iran, the Afghans successfully resisted the Western reforms of King Amanullah, who was forced to abdicate and was exiled. His successor, Nadir Shah, suffered a worse fate; he was murdered by a Moslem zealot. Now the Afghans are fighting a “holy war” against the Communist regime of Taraki.