Ahmad Mousa (Ph.D.)
Professor of Persian Literature, Morocco.
The Iranian 1979 revolution was the first sectarian political uprising in modern times. Its aims were to preserve Iran’s new identity, export its culture, and sponsor a new revolutionary version of Islam – especially amongst Shiite communities, and those in poor countries that lacked a strong political authority. The Iranian clerics set the basic principles of Iran’s internal and external policy through their speeches that focused on revolutionary concepts, national identity, and national interests. The clerics also set the standard for the “Self” and the “Other”. Also, Iran’s clerics challenged international protocols, threatened the prevailing international system of mutual relations between countries and mobilized the so called “Axis of Resistance” to challenge the dominant international powers.
