Imam Khomeini pointed to the need to assert independence in all respects and he succeeded in implementing religious, political and cultural independence for Iran. However, he was very aware of the economic and financial power of the Western and Eastern blocs. Moreover, he recognised that Islamic countries, as constituted, did not, and do not, have a genuine Islamic economics and finance which could serve the people as a whole. Indeed, he specifically stated that academics and politicians must find a new way forward for Islamic economic justice.
Therefore, in respect of religion, politics and culture, he ended dependency on Western and Eastern blocs while, at the same time, was looking for Iran to finally break free from the global financial system and create a genuinely true Islamic economic and financial system. As a consequence of the Revolution, there is now a huge opportunity for Iran to give the world a lead in respect of economic justice.
Imam Khomeini embodied the true identity of the people of Iran. He had courage and vision and he pointed to a new way forward for a people being betrayed by the Shah, his acolytes and the Western colonial powers. The Imam is the major historical figure of our time – in both the Muslim AND the non-Muslim worlds. He upheld religious, political and cultural independence but his call – for the exportation of justice – means that, for all supporters of the Imam, there is still much work to be done.
Imam Khomeini’s foresight to future developments of the Muslim world was brilliant. He knew that Western capitalism and Soviet communism did not, and could not satisfy the needs of the human race. Something big and new was needed. In particular, something big and new for Iran was needed. Iran is the ONLY country capable of initiating something big and new. Only Iran has the necessary combination of courage, independence and a cadre of thinkers and politicians determined to implement the fundamental aims of the Revolution.
‘Islam’ means the religion. ‘Political Islam’ means that only concentrating on religion (and expecting it to solve all problems) is to betray our duty to deal with economic, social and environmental matters. Wherever possible, we should use Koranic guidance to help us decide what to do, but we should not shirk our duty to find solutions in the worlds of politics and economics.
ALL of the features of the Revolution worried the Western powers have worried the western powers. However, two, in particular, worried them. Firstly, they did not want Iran to own, and benefit from, Iranian oil and other assets. Secondly, they most certainly did not want any form of democracy in Iran.
You cannot compromise with the Western imperial powers and the recent history of the JCPOA nuclear treaty (and its negation by those who signed the treaty) is an example. Overall, there is a movement from a uni-polar world dominated by the USA to a multi-polar one. At the same time, more and more people are becoming aware of the intentions of the globalists who want to put everybody under the control of Western bankers and so-called ‘intellectuals’ in societies with no private ownership for the mass of the people who will be forced to subsist on a tiny income. It is up to Iran to find the new way forward and I am confident that it will.
An Israeli leader described the Islamic revolution as an “earthquake of the century”. He is correct and the big ‘earthquake of the century’ effect is the democratic aspect. The West Asia regimes are generally autocratic and Israel itself is completely racist and anti-democratic. The Iranian Revolution, therefore, was, and is, a threat to the West Asia autocracies, to Israel, and to anti-democratic elitist regimes elsewhere in the world.
The Israeli entity is a Western colonial imposition intending to expel the Palestinians and, eventually, to occupy all the lands allegedly ruled by Jews over two thousand years ago. This racist activity is based on the preposterous belief that today’s alleged descendants of peoples allegedly existing two thousand years ago have a right to expel the present occupants of the land. On that argument, the whole of North and South America should be immediately handed over to the descendants of the original native peoples. The Imam emphasised the religious duty to liberate al-Quds. This essentially means that the duty extends beyond the life of any individual to the lives of future generations.