Members of the ulema nourished the increasingly violent
protests, calling on working-class opponents of the government
to go on strike. Workers obeyed, demanding union powers and
higher pay—and grinding Iran’s economy to a near standstill. By
late in the year, a broad segment of Iran’s population opposed
the government.
One of Khomeini’s tactics for undermining the Pahlavi regime
was to appeal to the military. Winning the sentiments of the
soldiers eventually would be necessary, he knew. Although
countless demonstrators were dying at the hands of the army,
Khomeini did not condemn the men in uniform. Rather, in his
taped messages he implored them not to harm the protesters, for
they all were Muslims. Instead, he said, the army must turn
against the godless shah and unite with the revolutionaries in a
grand war on behalf of Allah.
His appeals clearly had an effect. By Autumn 1978, many
soldiers were refusing to use force against demonstrators; some
literally were joining the protesters on the spot. As we will see,
soldiers deserted in legions as the revolution came to its climax.
It would be perhaps the most incredible development of the
revolution: One of the most modern armies on the planet,
excellently equipped with Western weaponry purchased with
oil money, was about to disintegrate.
Throngs of Iranians of different classes were convinced the
Pahlavi government was evil. When more than four hundred
people perished in a movie theater fire in Abadan in August 1978,
suspicion immediately fell upon the SAVAK. The government,
meanwhile, blamed Muslim extremists. One might wonder why
the government would authorize a ghastly arson against theater-
goers at a time when the regime’s trustworthiness was under
attack. The logic mattered little to rioters who took to the streets.
The shah, they clamored, had to go.
In an attempt to control the situation, Pahlavi named Jafaar
Sharif-Emami to serve as prime minister. The shah believed
Sharif-Emami’s close ties with religious leaders would quell the
fire of revolution. Sharif-Emami proposed a “reconciliation”48 AYATOLLAH RUHOLLAH KHOMEINI
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