The 1979 revolution in Iran quickly reversed the natural course of the social and political developments in the country. What once began with calls for political reforms, equality, justice, and more freedom, rapidly transformed into a storm that destroyed more than it built. After this revolution, Iran found itself in a power vacuum and a violent struggle for control, where Islamists, led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, violently seized power and transformed Iran into a theocratic hell, ruled by the doctrine of the Supreme Religious Leader and the Islamic Republic.
This regime bears the name ‘republic’ merely as an empty title, and its founders had little knowledge or understanding of power, politics, and governance. They not only caused significant harm to the lives and property of the citizens, but also to the economy, politics, the country’s reputation, and even to the faith of the people. Furthermore, they stripped away the social and personal freedoms that the population enjoyed before the 1979 revolution, under the pretense of Islamization. Especially women in Iran face daily oppression, and outdated religious laws are imposed on everyone.
The Iranian Revolution and the Islamic Republic are clear examples of the fatal combination of an orthodox religion, far-left Marxist ideologies, and patriarchy. Personally, I would even argue that the ultimate goals of the 1979 revolution in Iran were not those noble slogans about freedom and justice, but rather the power-hunger and power display of the revolutionaries. The regime that came to power after 1979 in Iran, not only turned against Iran, the Iranian identity, its ancient civilization, nationality and modernity, but also adopted an aggressive stance from the beginning, entangling itself in both internal and external conflicts. The regime promoted the export of the Shi’a revolution, adopted a hostile attitude toward non-Muslims, other Muslim groups, Israel, the West, and dissidents, and created militant and armed groups in the region. Hostility toward the West, Israel, and women, evident in the mandatory hijab and unequal rights for women, are the foundations of this regime and have caused numerous problems for Iran over the past four decades. This revolution led to the death of thousands and the forced emigration and exile of millions of Iranians, continuing to this day.
I also believe that the behavior of the Islamic Republic in Iran after the revolution plunged the region into a different dynamic. A dynamic that, instead of alleviating the existing conflicts, actually intensified them; the involved parties became more distrustful and violent toward one another, and no tangible solutions emerged. With the rise of the new regime, Iran’s role shifted from a potentially involved and helpful neighboring country to a negative force in the entire situation.
This story was my attempt, coming deeply from my imagination, to illustrate what we in Iran and our region could have achieved, if that devastating revolution hadn’t taken place, and if Iran and the region hadn’t been trapped in a mix of extremism, far-left ideology, distrust, and hostility. I believe that without that revolution, Iran could have followed a natural and progressive course, like the rest of the modern world, and not only could have implemented the necessary political and social reforms, but it also could have become one of the first democratic and free countries in the Middle East. At the same time, I hope it is clear to the reader that even in such a world, the danger of radicalism and extremism will remain. These groups will not easily change their course and will do everything they can to seize power, because they firmly believe that they are righteous, while viewing the others as ignorant, enemies, and apostates.
Finally, although the story is dramatic, I want to give the reader the freedom, through the open ending, to imagine and reflect on the future of the remaining characters, armed with the knowledge of our current world. This open ending could lead to a peaceful, harmonious, and prosperous region, as long as one continues to strive for it. But it could also become a reflection of our current world; if the main players, the actors in the region, are not vigilant and lose themselves in prejudice, arrogance, secrecy, negligence and extremism, then such a future will become a reality, and their fate will resemble that of our current world: conflicts, division, hatred, war, and atrocities in the region.
Anahita Spenta, December 2024