NINETEEN
The Reassertion of
Islamic Power
By 1979, a crucial year in Middle East history, the outlook for peace seemed
about as stable as a roller-coaster ride. Most of the world wanted a just and
peaceful settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Yet the roller-coaster of war
fears and peace hopes in the Middle East swooped and sank, lurched left
and right, on and on. As the train veered past Camp David and the White
House lawn, a new trouble spot sprang up—Iran. A country hailed by
President Carter on a New Year's Day visit in 1978 as "an island of stability
in one of the more troubled areas of the world" became, before the year
ended, paralyzed by strikes and demonstrations. What about its ruler, the
Shahanshah (King of Kings) Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Aryamehr (light of
the Aryans)? Carter, in his New Year's toast, had said, "This is a great tribute
to you, Your Majesty, and to the respect, admiration, and love which your
people give to you." A year later the shah was gravely ill and cut off from his
rebellious subjects, and Carter's officials were discussing ways to ease him
out of Iran.
Meanwhile, the television cameras turned to a thin, dark-eyed, white-
bearded octogenarian in a black turban, brown coat, and green tunic, living
a spartan existence in a Paris suburb. Just who was this Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini? How could an aged Shi'i teacher win the hearts and minds of
millions of Iranians, at home and abroad? For thirty-seven years, the shah
had labored to modernize Iran—or so most Westerners thought—but now
the forces of Muslim fundamentalism were taking over. Suddenly, "Islam"
was a force in the world, and Middle East "experts" were writing books, giv¬
ing lectures, and teaching courses about it. In early 1979 the shah left Iran