A Guideline to the Revolution: Ten Days of Dawn and beyond

Nour Rida

After 14 years of exile for opposing the despotic Shah and his regime, a mujtahid and a gnostic of the highest order in Islam. He returned home to an unprecedented welcome, to lead the Islamic Revolution to victory in February 1979. For the next ten years he proficiently guided the Islamic Republic of Iran, defeating the conspiracies crisscrossed by the major powers then, with one major aggressive station being the imposed war which was initiated by a US-Western backed Saddam war [and his Ba'th party] against which the Islamic Republic had to defend itself.

At the time, the Shah sought the development of a modern secular state centralized in his person and sustained by the imperial armed forces and other security forces. He had not only ordered people to wear western clothes, but also banned Hijab, which was an important symbol of modesty even before the Islamic Revolution.

Under this ideology, no opposition was tolerated. All dissent, whether from liberals and intellectuals or the Shi'ite Moslem mullahs, was suppressed by brutal security forces. He would employ secret police, torture, and executions to stifle political dissent. The Pahlavi dynasty has sometimes been described as a "royal dictatorship" or "one man rule". The United States viewed the Shah's dynasty as a force for stability and predictability in the region and provided it with the military weaponry it requested, believing that a militarily strong ally would undermine the influence of the Soviet Union in the region.

To that, the people rose to have their voice heard, and to stop a so-called modern regime from hijacking the rights of the people. Hence, the people led by the father and founder of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini, witnessed a long path of perseverance and strive before liberation from the Western-led regime that had stolen rights and lives.

It was on October 25, 1964 when Imam Khomeini on release from prison delivered a keynote speech in which he vehemently denounced the judicial immunity granted to US nationals in Iran by the Pahlavi regime.

He also condemned Washington and its illegitimate proxy, "Israel". The remarks of the Imam enlightened the people and angered the Shah regime, to the extent that it again detained him and a few days later sent him into exile. That was the starting point to a revolution that came to light before even Imam Khomeini stepped foot back again on Iranian soil.

On November 3, 1964, Imam Khomeini was exiled to Turkey, following his arrest earlier in Qom by the Shah's forces and his relocation to Tehran. The aim of the Pahlavi regime was to suppress the Islamic aspirations of the people. On hearing the news of the exile of the leader, the people in various Iranian cities held mass demonstrations. Later Imam Khomeini moved from Turkey to holy Najaf in Iraq, from where he continued to lead the Islamic movement of the Iranian people, until his return home some 15 years later to end the monarchy and establish the Islamic Republic system.

On January 5, 1978, with the publication of an insulting article in one of Tehran's papers against Imam Khomeini, the protests of the Muslim Iranian nation started across the country and the Islamic movement was placed on the path to final victory.
The Shah regime, backed by the US and Britain, and aware of the influence and popularity of Imam Khomeini among the people, thought that by insulting this revered leader, it could undermine his popularity.

The rally demanded the end of monarchial rule. During the time, Imam Khomeini was in exile in holy Najaf, in Iraq. The regime's forces attacked the peaceful demonstrators, martyring and wounding a large number of them. Among the repercussions that rippled from this rally was that many ulema were banished to remote areas of the country, yet it failed to dampen the spirit of resistance of the people, who kept to stage similar rallies until the regime was toppled.
 
On October 15, 1978, while the people of Kerman in southeastern Iran were commemorating at the city's Jame' Masjid [Main Mosque], the traditional 40th day of the martyrs of the Tehran uprising against the Shah regime, Pahlavi agents attacked the mourners, martyring and injuring scores of them. This led to development of a new wave of protests against the US & British-installed regime, resulting in a chain demonstrations throughout the country.

On October 20, 1978, workers and personnel of Iran's oil industry went on a nationwide strike against the Shah's regime. As a result, Iran's oil exports came to a halt, depriving the Shah's regime of its most important revenues. Moreover, the severance of Iran's oil exports led to sharp price hikes. The Shah's regime through its aggressive policies, tried to force the oil industry workers to return to their jobs, but they refused to do so.

On November 5, 1978, the personnel of Iran Radio and TV Network started their strike against the Shah's regime, following its attack on the press and detention of several journalists, which led to closure of the leading dailies.

On November 6, 1978, wide-scale demonstrations were held across Iran in protest to appointment of the military rule of General Gholam-Reza Azhari by the Pahlavi regime. During these demonstrations the revolutionary people of Iran resolutely announced that superficial changes by the regime cannot obstruct the continuation of the popular protests until victory of the Islamic Revolution. Also on this day, Imam Khomeini conveyed a message to the Iranian nation on the massacre of Tehran university students on November 4, 1978. Part of this message read that the courageous Iranian nation has "proved that tanks and machine guns are of no use and cannot crush the Iranian nation's indomitable determination."
 
On November 3, 1978, during the mass protests of the Iranian people against the Pahlavi regime, students at Tehran University Campus, calling for the return home from exile of Imam Khomeini were brutally attacked by the Shah's forces, resulting in martyrdom of several of them. Hence, the 13th of Aban was named as Students Day, following the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

On November 4, 1978, during the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the oppressive Pahlavi regime, Premier Ja'far Sharif-Imami and his cabinet were forced to resign after five weeks in office. He was one of the most corrupt officials of the Shah's regime and was appointed to deceive the people and derail the Islamic Movement from its course. Following his resignation, the instigator of the Black Friday massacre in Tehran, General Gholam-Reza Azhari formed a military cabinet, but Imam Khomeini called on the Iranian people to continue their movement until the total collapse of the US-backed regime.

On December 29, 1978, following the failure of the military cabinet of General Gholam Reza Azhari to suppress the popular Islamic uprising of the Iranian nation, the Shah's despotic regime named Shapour Bakhtiar as Prime Minister. The Shah and the US hoped that Bakhtiar would be able to halt the Iranian nation's Islamic Revolution through his supposedly ‘nationalist' and ‘reformist' policies. The Iranian Muslim nation was, however, alert and vigilant and stood up against Bakhtiar, calling him the stooge of foreign powers. In his message from exile, Imam Khomeini declared Bakhtiar's cabinet as illegitimate and called on people to continue their struggle for the overthrow of the Pahlavi regime.

On January 11, 1979, during the most sensitive moments of Iran's Islamic Movement, when the US was making feverish efforts to maintain in power the Pahlavi regime, Imam Khomeini ordered formation of the Revolutionary Council. Its main duties were to coordinate the struggles of the Iranian people against the Shah's regime; to advance the goals of the Islamic Revolution; and to set the stage for formation of the interim government after the Pahlavi regime's eventual downfall.
Imam Khomeini, in his message, emphasized that the demand of the Iranian Muslim nation is not just the Shah's ouster, but continuation of the struggle until establishment of the sacred Islamic system, which guarantees the freedom of the people; independence of Iran; and implementation on of social justice. After the ouster of the Shah, the Revolutionary Council also acted as a lawmaking body until formation of the elected Majlis or parliament.

On January 12, 1979, during demonstrations in several Iranian cities in the crucial days of the Islamic Revolution, intense clashes erupted between Shah's forces and the people, leading to martyrdom and injury of a number of courageous Iranians.
On January 13, 1979, during the crucial days of the Islamic Revolution, the beleaguered Pahlavi ruler Mohammad Reza Shah, floated the idea of setting up a regency council to transfer power to his son, in a bid to deceive the people to discontinue their popular movement against his regime.

But the Iranian people took to the streets to denounce his plot. On this day, from his brief exile in Paris, the Imam announced that soon a revolutionary government would be established. Following this announcement, the head of the so-called regency council, Jalaleddin Tehrani, left for France to meet Imam Khomeini. But the Imam set two conditions for meeting him: First of all Tehrani's resignation from his post, and secondly announcement of illegitimacy of the regency council.
Soon Tehrani resigned from his post and in this manner the regency council was practically dissolved.

On January 14, 1979, major clashes erupted between the unarmed demonstrators and the Shah's soldiers. Several soldiers, impressed by the Islamic movement, joined the people, thereby further demoralizing the Shah's army.
In his message from exile once again Imam Khomeini encouraged soldiers to join the people for defense of the divine religion of Islam, in order to rescue the country from the hands of hegemonic powers.

On January 15, 1979, Mohammad Reza Shah, faced by the massive tide of the Islamic Revolution fled the country under pretext of medical treatment.
Since 1953, Mohammad Reza was installed as throne heir by Britain and the US who carried out the August 19, 1953 coup to unseat Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq. Thereafter, Mohammad Reza loyally served the interests of the US in Iran and the region, and brutally suppressed the Iranian people, until he was forced to flee in 1979 by the will of the people.

On January 18, 1979, the Iranian nation staged a huge demonstration against the remnants of the Shah's regime. The protesters demanded the ouster of the Shah's prime minister, Shahpour Bakhtiyar and establishment of the Islamic system of government. On this day, Imam Khomeini in his message to the Iranian nation from exile, said: "Insha Allah [God willing], I will soon join you, so that with your courageous efforts we would resolve problems, and through the unity of all strata of the nation, we would make every effort in the path toward independence and freedom of Iran."

On January 19, 1979, the news of the imminent return home from exile of Imam Khomeini were greeted with rejoicings by the Iranian nation. The news created panic among the Shah's agents, many of whom fled the country in view of their criminal record.

On November 14, 1979, the Assembly of Experts completed the drafting and approval of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Constitution, determining the basis of the sacred Islamic system of government in accordance with the holy Qur'an, the hadith and Islamic values, with special focus on social justice and compliance with the rights of all human beings.
The Constitution was duly put to nationwide referendum and approved by the overwhelming majority of the Iranian people, thereby opening a new chapter in the history of constitutions of world countries.

In 1989, an amendment to the Constitution took place regarding abolishment of the premier's post and strengthening of the presidency, and approved by the Assembly of Experts after put to people's vote.

On December 2, 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran's Constitution was ratified following overwhelming majority of votes, cast by the people.

Until this day, it is the voice of the people that reigns the scene under Islamic democracy, which preserves the rights of women and men alike, as equal human beings within the norms and values of Iran the Islamic Republic rather than norms that the West has been trying to make the ‘sole universal' norms to which the peoples of the world should abide.

Source: al-Ahed news