Hearing the news coming from various sources Reza Pahlavi has regained some impressive popularity. Iranians, especially younger people have accused the former generations for ousting the Pahlavi regime and replacing it with a bunch of fanatics with far more dictatorial tendencies, abolishing even those basic human rights that people had under the monarchy, all in the name of religion. In the last nationwide demonstrations in 2017 people were boldly chanting the return of the Shah and praising Raze Shah the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty in public, in holy cities like Qom and Mashad and other capital cities. The satellite television Manoto is one of the most popular channels in Iran. Broadcasting from London it is in possession of impressive archival footage covering the Pahlavi era. The carefully curated footage of that time has managed to create a feeling of nostalgia for a country that once was peaceful and prosperous and had some prestige and the people in Iran cannot get enough of it.
Younger generations obviously didn’t have anything to do with the Islamic revolution and because of easy access to information they can see their country was in better shape prior to 1979. But an important question for the younger generation to ask is that 1979 wasn’t the first time the Pahlavi monarchy was overthrown? A pattern of ‘Shah comes and Shah goes’ is etched across Iranian history, believe it or not. Whenever the Shah goes people come with legitimate reasons to bring the king back and whenever the Shah comes back there are even more legitimate reasons to oust him. In every transition many people lose their lives and the economy declines and chaos reigns and many begin reinventing the wheels.
The Pahlavi regime failed in identifying the strong religious elements in the Iranian society that were always plotting to take over. A bad regime sometimes creates a worse one. But the malicious intent of the mullahs was no secret to many. It was Muhammad Reza Shah that abandoned his father’s warning and began flirting with the clergies. He had one foot in pre-Islamic Iran, one foot in Shiism and one foot in the West. At the end neither could save him.
The support of people for Reza Shah to put an end to the power and conspiratorial nature of the mullahs was there. But he didn’t.
My grandfather, who was a religious man, gave a stern warning to my grandmother when they betrothed. He said to never step foot in a mosque. He despised the mullahs. There were many who thought like him during the Reza Khan period. For the first time in Iran’s history the curtain fell and people had the courage to look into the corrupt souls of the mullahs even if for a brief period. The ground was ready for a real change in Iran similar to Turkey. Many in Iran believed the mullahs never had the best interest of the country at heart and could not be trusted. The support of people for Reza Shah to put an end to the power and conspiratorial nature of the mullahs was there. But he didn’t.
By the time we get to the reign of Muhammad Reza Shah any criticism of the clergy becomes almost forgotten. They had once again become free to roam as they pleased. But they used their freedom to plot and conspire, to murder and divide, and finally, do whatever it takes to come to power. During the reign of Muhammad Reza Shah the mullahs and their institutions went through a rejuvenation phase, they gathered their resources and aimed high. They were confident that they could overthrow the monarchist for good. No trick was dirty enough, no bloodshed was big enough, and no propaganda was deceitful enough to fool the populace in believing in their fake Islamic utopia which turned out to be the biggest nightmare for most Iranians, including many of their own key supporters.
The mullahs, in fact, have never been politically inactive. If miraculously they are all removed from power today they will still plan a comeback. It is in their DNA. Islam from its inception was both religious and political. Ataturk’s achievement in separating the two cannot be praised enough. In Iran, Ahmad Kasravi was one of the first to recognise the ambition of the Iranian Shiite clergies. He urged people to see the oppressive reality of their country. There was no security and hardly any freedom to criticise the Qajars or the clergy for their corruption and backward tendencies. Reza Khan, he believed got a few things right: securing the country and curtailing the power of clergy. Although Kasravi was not a fan of Reza Khan but he worked in his system for he thought it’s better to build on those few important things that Reza Khan had achieved which the country never had before. They both knew the ultimate goal of the mullahs was to take over the power and keep the country back from progress. Tragically one was murdered and the other relented in his belief and never completed what he set out to do, which was to curtail the power of clergies for good.
Ataturk and Reza Shah Pahlavi meeting for the first time in 1934, Istanbul, Turkey
Reza Khan instead of politically leading the country on a path where power would be shared and people have equal opportunity in being active in politics established his own dynastic enterprise instead. Again within the great tradition of Iranian Islamic monarchy self-interest won. The country once more was put on a dangerous path where everything could be derailed and was derailed. In reality, there was a time bomb underneath all the peace and prosperity that people characterise the Pahlavi era with and it did eventually explode. The example of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was there and Reza Khan failed to learn from it. Ataturk once said, “…by complete independence, we mean of course complete economic, financial, juridical, military, cultural independence and freedom in all matters. Being deprived of independence in any of these is equivalent to the nation and country being deprived of all its independence.” Ataturk was a much greater leader than Reza Khan. Yet, he was humble enough and showed affection toward Reza Khan and in 1934 invited him to come for a visit to Turkey. Reza Khan was inspired by Ataturk’s reforms but not inspired enough to put the interest of his country before his own. His personal ambition regarding wealth and elevation of his family into a dynasty without any accountability fell far short and proved pernicious for the future of the country. Reza Khan should not be remembered for what he achieved because they only fell apart later but remembered for his failures and lack of foresight.
No dynasty in Iran’s post-Islamic history has ever created a civic society of any importance that has survived after changing of the guards. There were several powerful kings in Iran’s post-Islamic era that could have restored the country to its pre-Islamic prestige and help her to become independent, free and work toward a more enlightened and stable future. But they never wanted to share power, couldn’t see beyond their immediate personal gains and never heeded to the longterm benefit of the country. Usually, one king or dynasty made a huge mess and another came to clean up afterward only to repeat the same pattern. It is a miracle that a country has even survived this far into history. This is no exaggeration when you learn how many civilisations have gone extinct or broken up because of lack of wisdom by their leaders.
…it was their irrelevance to most of the Iranian population that the Islamists capitalised on.
Growing up in Tehran I found the Pahlavi dynasty irrelevant to my life. And I can say the same thing for most of the people that I knew, young and old. I can hardly recall a conversation that was about the Pahlavis. The only ones who talked with some fondness about them were those who were part of the system and fed off it. Corruption and nepotism was rife. They were no system of checks and balances that they had to abide by, they were not accountable to anybody. But more than anything it was their irrelevance to most of the Iranian population that the Islamists capitalised on.
Farah Diba was the exception, however. The Shah was very fortunate to have found her. She was the true royal in every sense. Thoughtful and genuine she mingled and interacted with every part of the society. It was sometimes dizzying watch her going from one function to the next, one village to the next, one gathering to another.There was hardly any respite in her busy schedule. But she was merely one honest, down to earth person among many who were in it for personal gains.
Queen Farah Diba at the age of 38 during a visit to Hamedan visited the Village of Laljin on June 7, 1976 where a couple humbly offer her bread, cheese, and yogurt which she enjoyed.
After the Shah died I thought in my own naïve way that Farah Diba and her children would be allowed or even encouraged to come back to Iran, at least for a visit. It was terribly sad to see two of her children die in their prime in such circumstances. No one is born choosing their parents or the county or religion. The young children before they could discover who they were and what they wanted to do with their lives found themselves on the run, hated and hunted down. It is interesting that the same fate: escape, exile, loss of identity and country and humiliation befell so many millions of Iranians. The same pain and suffering of the Pahlavi family became the pain and suffering of so many fellow Iranians. There are certain universal laws above all religions, ‘you reap what you sow’ and let no person from any religion tell you otherwise. I remember when Ferdinand Marcos, the Filipino dictator was overthrown. Four years after he died his body was allowed to be transferred to the Philippines the country of his birth. His wife and children safely returned and even got involved in politics. Now which culture is more humane?
Despite his childlike smile, he embodies many of the sufferings that people have endured during this last 40 years.
What should we be thinking of Reza Pahlavi now? We cannot hold the mistakes of his father and grandfather against him. Like the rest of us he has every right to be active in politics and he has been active against the IRI as far as I can remember. His firm commitment to his vocation as an activist is unwavering and has helped him grow as a person. He does not strike many as a great leader. Perhaps he is not a leader in a traditional style but he is of great value in people’s struggle against the Islamic Republic of Iran. He is reasonably intelligent. He has taken most of his mother’s good traits. He is articulate. He is not overly gifted in anything but has adequate talents. Most importantly he is a well-balanced person. Despite his childlike smile, he embodies many of the sufferings that people have endured during this last 40 years. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth but everything was taken away from him and like so many millions of Iranians had to find a place of refuge, endure exile and accept all the humiliations that is associated with statelessness. I am sure he is not everyone’s prime candidate but his popularity cannot be ignored. And he seems to be beckoning to a form of reform in Iran that it will put the country on a path where no particular group would be forever in-charge.
Reza Pahlavi with his niece Aryana Pahlavi in a train on the way to New York
Iranian history is full of inept rulers, because a divine right has been bestowed to the kings with no question asked. If you study history you will discover that the terrible catastrophes that had befallen Persia, the Arab invasion, the Mongol invasion, etc… had their origins in the bad leadership of the Iranian kings.
Reza Pahlavi can play a role because he does not have some of the baggage that many opposition figures have. He does not have anyone’s blood on his hands to start with. He seems to be free from any royal pompousness. He has political leverage with the younger generation of Iranian which is a great asset to be used against the Islamists.
It would be better if Mr Pahlavi considered himself only a citizen however. He should remember that his grandfather was forced to go to exile. His father was forced to leave Iran in 1979 and they were both ‘officially’ crowned as king. People are sick of titles. Usually, title is a coverup for lack of substance. To believe that by reestablishing the monarchy the ‘good years’ will return is no better than wishing for another Islamic utopia, or planting another time bomb that will only go off one day in the future.
The most pressing problem which not only engulfs the Islamic countries but the world is that political Islam (ISIS, Taliban, Al-Qaida, Hezballah) must be seen as the cancer of our time. Has Reza Pahlavi the courage to talk about the root problem. People should also demand to know his opinion. The Islamic Republic of Iran is only a symptom of the disease. People must learn to distinguish Islam as a religion from political Islam, however. When Ataturk separated the two he did not close the doors of the mosques or disallowed Muslims to practice their religion. In fact, all religions can act in oppressive way if they are given total power. Any group that controls or dictates the political processes without the consensus of people, in reality, creates a form of organised crime syndicate. Unless every mullah from the supreme leader to its lowest rank sign a declaration acknowledging this truth there won’t be any election choosing between parliamentary or constitutional democracy. So better stop fantasising about a free election. Unless every Islamic clergy issue a proclamation that all Iranian citizens regardless of their sex, religion or ethnicity has the same right to be active in every sphere of society no strike or civil disobedience will be effective. Unless every Muslim denounces political Islam publicly, the world won’t be a safe place and the fight will continue. Political Islam is anti transparency and accountability, against freedom of expression, enemy of human rights and religious freedom, biased and discriminatory against women and always bent on monopolising power by any unscrupulous means possible.
Wouldn’t Iran be better off without so much power given to its religious leaders or aristocrats?
There are very constructive questions to ask for all Iranians in the meantime. For example, how other countries, like, Portugal, Spain, or Italy, to name a few, with a long history of monarchism, dictatorship and religious interference in politics freed themselves and how they govern themselves now? Can we learn from them? Wouldn’t Iran be better off without so much power given to its religious leaders or aristocrats? Can one day the God-given talents of ordinary people triumph over monopolisation of power based on bloodline or a religious belief? The old models are fraught with weakness, discrimination against minorities and anti-progressive tendencies. They have been recycled more than enough and have past their use by date. Sometimes we are closer to the truth by asking the right questions rather than providing cliche answers or simple solutions. The failure of Iranians to learn from other nations and even their own history is a terrible handicap.
Reza Pahlavi’s time is not up yet. Whether we like it or not. He seems genuine and has connected with the younger generation of Iranians. If it wasn’t for some of his fanatical supporters who never admit to the terrible wrongs of the Pahlavi and the monarchy, in general, he would have been even more popular. As himself, not as a prince or a future king he can be more effective. Winning back the basic human rights of Iranians is the next step.
Even after the rule of law is restored in Iran and the mullahs hegemony on power had ended it will take decades for Iran and Iranians to recover from the terrible traumas they have suffered under this ahrimanic regime.
The spirit of our ancient ancestors have always hovered over Ērānshahr and will help the people to end this nightmare one day; with or without any political leaders who are alive today.
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Iranians and the whole world owe a debt of gratitude to the Pahlavi’s! Over a short period of time, the two kings of Pahlavi transformed a bunch of barbaric, backward & disease stricken tribes into a modern country called Iran. Too bad these very tribes didn’t deserve it nor had the wisdom to protect what they were given to, hence their demise and current miserable predicament!
What a thoughtful article. Thank you for taking the time to share and giving us food for thought.
“The carefully curated footage of that time has managed to create a feeling of nostalgia for a country that once was peaceful and prosperous and had some prestige and the people in Iran cannot get enough of it.” —- Based on my conversations the popularity of the station has little to do with their romanticisation of the Pahlavi era. Rather, it is the high-end production and entertainment value of their shows that draw such a large viewership.
“Wouldn’t Iran be better off without so much power given to its religious leaders or aristocrats?” — hear, hear! Iranians went from kissing the feet/ring of a King, to getting on their knees in prayer/worship of the Mullahs. Until Iranians break this cycle of idol-worship, Iranians will continue to get the gov’t they deserve (as the saying goes). And as you astutely said: “They were no system of checks and balances that they had to abide by, they were not accountable to anybody.” This was true then, as it is now.
Reza Pahlavi: As time passes his popularity among the Diaspora wanes. His supporters are by and large senior citizens now, many still bitter, still holding on to past glory, still hopeful of regime change, still…(at some point people would do well to just let go and move on w/ their lives). Statistics show that support for Israel among Jewish Americans, especially the youth, continues to drop. Quoting from Al Jazeera: “As Israeli newspaper Haaretz observed, the poll “shows that support for Israel is directly co-related to gender, age, economic status and political outlook. It is strongest among older, well-to-do, conservative white men and weakest among young, liberal, minorities and women”. — similar observations/analysis could be made about Mr. Pahlavi’s support outside of Iran. And certainly, monarchists being associated with the likes of the MEK, Trump admin, MbS, etc. doesn’t help attract younger people (outside or inside of Iran).
One more note, many loathe to give any credit to the current regime, no matter what tangible statistic(s)/facts you present. The hate runs so deep that emotions superseed any rational conversation. It’s like Trumpism here in the US. I’m no fan of his but it’s absurd to see mainstream media or individuals go out of their way to dis-spell/undermine/spin any of his accomplishments or efforts. The confirmation bias is thick and spin (aka propaganda) even thicker. Despite their many shortcomings, the truth is that since the revolution Iran has made tremendous advances in many fields, including the sciences, technology, education, military and education.
As for context for the above comments, I very much like this Tweet by Jason Rezaian:
“I’d like to see a free, democratic, secular government in Iran, just as many people would. I just don’t support a 1. war 2. new sanctions that will create new suffering 3. the MEK or 4. a monarchy, because I don’t think any of those will result in a democratic & secular Iran.”
https://twitter.com/jrezaian/status/1003751396666200069
It’s easy to overlook the advancement of the Iranian people in various fields, I agree. They have definitely been busy in their bedrooms as the population has soared. Naturally you have a large pool of people with more talents and abilities. They also want to progress in life and contribute to their society. Islam has not been against scientific progress overall. It has been traditionally against the arts, for example, music, dance and theatre etc… We also know these three stands of arts are very much part of the secular culture in Iran today. This is more as the result of the persistence by the people who want to keep the arts alive in their society, for the mullahs couldn’t be bothered, for they don’t have a artistic bone in their body.
There are also so many other issues that rightly overshadow the advancement. First it’s the human rights issue. Half the population (women) are told how to dress and behave. This micro control is unprecedented in the Iranian society. As far as politics and freedom of speech is concern, no one is safe if they pose a threat to the Islamic values which has its tentacles in every sphere of life. However control is a form of delusion and we know people behave differently in private than in public. So you can safely conclude Islamic Republic of Iran fosters hypocrisy and disingenuousness through fear of punishment.
Secondly, and perhaps the most important issue is that millions of Iranians choose to live outside of their own country which is a well known fact. We also know millions more would leave the country if they could. But this is exactly what IRI wants. Analogous to the Third Reich, IRI has a very specific agenda in politics and culture etc… they prefer for Iranians to leave their land rather than question their agenda.
The many progress that has happened in the Iranian society is mainly as the result of the people’s natural talents, their initiative and also living in a world that is impossible not to find out what’s happening else where. Iranian history is also a trajectory of what Iranians have achieved throughout centuries, an important factor which has nothing to do with IRI. They probably wish they could change the Iranian history and only leave the Islamic ones. But also even the Islamic one in large part is a Sunni version of Islam.
As far as Reza Pahlavi is concerned there are no guarantees in politics especially in the Iranian politics. It’s easy to lose the very little popularity that you have if you are not careful. The only ones who can make all the mistakes in the world and get away with it are the mullahs.
“monarchists being associated with the likes of the MEK, Trump admin, MbS, etc. doesn’t help attract younger people (outside or inside of Iran).”
Monarchy intimated with Iran’s glorious history. We have had over 5000 years history of monarchy. I am proud my ancestors introduced Monarchy for the first time to the history of mankind according to Hegel, German historian.. Monarchy has been part of Iranians psyche and it has nothing to do with younger generation or older generation or president Trump. It has been embedded in Iranians”Collective Unconscious”. or it has been Iranian archetype. For further information about “collective unconscious” or “Archytype” please take a look at blow link which had been conceptualized by “Carl Jung” Swiss psychologist.
Any hesitation about what I am saying ?
please take a look at comments on this blog in compare to comments on the other blogs, you will see how Iranians are sensitive to the notion of Monarchy. They can NOT let it go without leaving the comment in this blog. Isn’t that tell you something ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_unconscious
Better no religion at all.
The talks and teachings of Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) are well worth a look.
Meditation, the last resort.
Thanks for the article. Whatever Iranians have is from Pahlavi dynasty. Reza shah the Great, was the founder of modern Iran. Unlike these days that international community look at Iranians as “Terrorist” and “piece a dirt”, during shah days, Iranians were well respected around the world. Shah brought Iranians dignity, pride and international prestige. Unlike these days that Iranians are ashamed to say they are Iranians and they’re saying they are “Persians”, during shah days, they were proud to say they were Iranians. After 40 years poverty, misery and disgrace, all Iranians realized that monarchy is the best option for them. In recent demonstration, they were asking to return of monarchy. Hopefully shahzadeh Reza pahlavi return to the crown and Iranians will re gain their respect among international community.
GOAL : RESTROING MONARCHY
Not every one is living a life of poverty, the children and extended families of the piece of sh-t kamenei and the mulahas and the basij live in luxury in Iran and with their wealth in Canada and Europe, with billions of dollars in foreign bank accounts in case they are removed from Iran
I had access to some of their names. Below link is exposing these Islamic bastards who stolen from my people and hidden their wealth in overseas banks:
https://www.heise.de/forum/Telepolis/Kommentare/Ahmadinedschad-Die-Zeit-fuer-Atomwaffen-ist-vorbei/BILLIONS-STOLEN-BY-IRANIAN-REGIME-AND-HIDDEN-OVERSEAS/posting-1250501/show/
Thank you for your analysis of the root causes of the current situation. I do agree with you about the political Islam, and Pahlavi’s missteps that catapulted Mullahs to power. I am not sure, however, that even citizen Reza Pahlavi could play a constructive role in the opposition against the regime, considering his position on foreign intervention as a means of regime change and his affiliation with the Saudi funded media.
Iran is a Muslim country, the people want Islam to govern them. you are secularists, you are minority, you can’t change the situation, Islam is the solution for us.
believers like you have managed to turn this world into hell, including your world, you are a donkey and so STAY IGNORANT
Thank you. I am happy to a open mind. I hope that all things improve for the Iranian people.
What a pact with Satan the people of Iran were led into, wanting the satan incarnate Khomeine to replace the Shah. One day Iran will be free of the mullahs and free from the religion that is and has never been a religion of good, it has always been a religion of torment and enforcement of its primitive practices, to those who doubt it, just look at what ISIS has done, mohammad and his companions were the ISIS of its day, what ISIS did and is doing is exactly what islam is all about.
you are brainwashed and ignorant, to compare our beloved Prophet with isis shows how mischievous person you are. Go and read books about our holy prophet you will discover that he happened to found people who are low in morals and he transformed them into the most civilised society.
Sure keep on believing this fantasy, it will help you live your life in a bizaro world, I guess you also believe in the fact that your allah sits up in the sky handing out 72 whores to believers like you. Mohammad is as unholy a man as ever was, he was illiterate all of his life, no miracle made him literate, every thing he preached he got from the jews around him, and when they refused to follow him, he had them all killed in Medina, and took their women and children as slaves and sex slaves, handing them out to his companions, VERY MORAL, I guess he shared his looted booty and slaves with his followers
What a pipe dream! the content of this article that is.
He has a zero chance of being anybody inside Iran.
With all due respect to all the 3 year old toddlers, Reza Pahlavi cannot even wipe his own butt without the help of his mommy, Saudi dollars and Israeli lobby protection.
The same thing can be said about ruling criminal mullahs in Iran. Criminal mullahs “cannot even wipe their own butts without the help of their guardians, Russia, China and fifty, unshaven, stinky Arab terrorists in Lebanon”.
in one part you mention “political Islam” it is not just Islam look at political Judaism and political Christianity i Believe religion in general is evil when it gets into politics.
thanks for the article.