• The revolution brought about a completely different discourse by bringing down millennia of monarchical rule to an Islamic Republic.
• Iran, once an ally of the United States, turned into one of its avid foes, resisting its imperial tendencies.
It’s been 44 years since the Islamic Revolution in Iran — a popular uprising that toppled the US-backed Pahlavi regime — changing the course of the country's history.
The Iranian Revolution of 1979 has been described as an epochal event, called the peak of 20th century Islamic revitalization, and analyzed as the one key incident that continues to impact politics across Iran, the Middle East, and even the world as a whole.
The revolution brought about a completely different discourse by bringing down millennia of monarchical rule to an Islamic Republic. Iran, once an ally of the United States, turned into one of its avid foes, resisting its imperial tendencies.
The West in general, the US and Israel in particular, have been inciting and waging covert and overt wars against the Islamic Republic of Iran for most of its 44-year history.
The Islamic Republic, however, still stands unfazed, with a greater deterrent capability and more regional influence than ever.
For over four decades now, Iran has defied many of those who predicted the Revolution’s imminent collapse.
At 44, Iran is now a regional power, thanks to over four decades of social, economic, diplomatic, and military advancements.
It’s a stable country in an unstable region, powerful militarily, and as united as ever against hegemonic powers.
Iran is now at the forefront of many scientific areas, despite hack attacks and assassinations carried by the US and Israel, in defiance of international law.
Despite economic sanctions and the arms embargo, Iran developed significant industrial and manufacturing sectors in steel, rubber, cement and iron that other countries in the region lacked, as well as cutting-edge sectors such as auto, aerospace, nanotechnology, peaceful nuclear technology and stem cells among other scientific advancements.
The impact of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic has not been limited to Iran, and it extends to the entire Islamic world and to all of contemporary global affairs, a reality that even the naysayers are reluctantly conceding after more than 44 years of vigorous denial.
Forty four years after the revolution, the leader of the revolution, Imam Khomeini’s words still resonate, and his powerful ideas of liberation from imperialistic domination, independence in domestic and foreign affairs, and embrace of social justice and harmony continue to inspire not only Iranians but the people in the region and beyond.
Khamis Mohamed works at Iran Cultural Centre, Nairobi