The Soul of Iran: A Nation's Struggle for FreedomThe truths about Iran; quite different truths from versions put forward by Washington, Tehran, and the media. Iran thundered onto the world stage in 1979 with an Islamic revolution that shook the world. Today that revolution has gone astray, a popular democracy movement boldly challenges authority, and young Iranians are more interested in moving to America than in chanting "Death to America." Afshin Molavi, born in Iran and fluent in Persian, traveled widely across his homeland, exploring the legacy of the Iranian revolution and probing the soul of Iran, a land with nearly three millennia of often-glorious history. Like a master Persian carpet maker, Molavi weaves together threads of rich historical insight, political analysis, cultural observation, and the daily realities of life in the Islamic republic to produce a colorful, intricate, and mesmerizing narrative. Originally published in hardcover under the title Persian Pilgrimages, this paperback edition is revised, with a new introduction and epilogue. |
Contents
| 3 | |
II | 39 |
III | 87 |
Elites and Masses 104 The Road to Neishapour | 106 |
Omar Khayyam the Poet 109 The Spice Men of | 115 |
IV | 124 |
V | 159 |
VI | 215 |
The Khomeini Rise | 244 |
My Friend Hossein | 260 |
IX | 283 |
On Thugs and Freedom | 309 |
The June 2005 Presidential Election | 351 |
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1979 revolution Afshin Akbar Ganji American Amir Kabir Ansar-e-Hezbollah Arab asked Ayatollah Khomeini Basijis bazaar beard Behrooz billboards British century chador clergy clerics conservative Constitutionalists crowd culture Cyrus Davoud death democracy democratic driver elite Embassy Farsi Ferdowsi foreign freedom Ghassemi Hafez Haji Agha hands hard-line Hassan head Imam Hossein Imam Reza intellectuals Iran Iran’s Iranian history Iraq Iraqi Isfahan Islamic Republic journalist Khan Khatami Khayyam king leader looked Majlesi martyrs Mashhad Maziar Mohammad Mohammad Mossadeq Mohsen Molavi mosque Mossadeq mullahs Muslim nationalist Neishapour Parliament Persian Photo pilgrimage pilgrims poet political Pooya prayer protests Quran reform reformist religion religious revolutionary Reza Shah Rostam rule scholars secular Shah's Shahnameh Shi‘a Shiraz shrine smiled street student Sufi Tabriz talk taxi Tehran tion Today told tomb traditional visa walked Western women write Yadollah young Iranians Zari