For almost a century, the revivalist rarely took up arms. But received repeated punches stoically from the colonialists and communists alike. Until 1979.

Irani Inqilaab (Iranian Revolution)

Where Sunni Islamism failed, the Shi’a Islamism announced itself with a bang. Islamophobes masquerading as ‘Muslim experts’ warned of imminent world domination by Islam but could not predict the Iranian Revolution.

Origins

Citing fear of fascism and Hilter’s domination, the Allied Powers invaded Iran (and Iraq) in 1941 and acquired their oil fields. After the war, they organised a coup in 1953 against its elected government. This time, the threat was Soviet communists.

Their grip on oil spigot continued until 1978 under the watchful eyes of Shah of Iran. Like the Kemalists next door, he introduced modernisation in Iran, without speaking to relevant stakeholders and at the expense of masses who were mostly illiterate.

Meanwhile, Ayatollah Khomeini proposed his theory of Wilayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist): that even governments required supervision by Jurists. He said that such a guardianship is “more necessary than prayer and fasting” to eliminate poverty, injustice, and plundering of Muslim land by non-Muslims. Wilayati Shi’a had rejected Taqleed, fully embraced Usool al-Fiqh and employed modern concepts of Rights (a combination, the Sunnis could not weave in their hundred years practice of politics).

January 1979: 10% of Iranian population came out on the streets denouncing the Shah, protested against the American hegemony and Soviet conspiracy. The young of Iran thought it was their “French” Revolution. Helping them out was the Sunni way of thinking: the Irani Shi’a scholars had accepted Usul al-Fiqh as their guiding light to resolve issues, though with a twist: by reconciling democracy with Islam.

In protests that lasted full twelve months, and few hundred deaths, the Shah of Iran was forced to abdicate. In the coming years, the US came into direct conflict the Wilayati Shi’a.

Transformation into ‘Udwaani Cells

Mid-1979: When communists of Afghanistan seized power, the CIA organised a Muslim insurgency. The Muslims fighting the mighty godless Soviets were killing in the name of God, at the behest of seemingly god-fearing powers.

1980s: After the revolution, the Wilayati-Shi’a Ulema formally called out for similar revolutions across the Arab lands against their socialist dictators and Salafi monarchies. The age-old Sunni-Shi’a battle was revived, again in the name of justice: every Muslim was encouraged to act, unhinged, to achieve this goal.

February 1989: As the Cold War ended and the Americans went into dizzy spiral of victory march, the Iranian Shi’a Ulema bravely went on the offensive – for the hearts and minds of Muslims. The Wilaayat al-Faqhi of Iran, Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa for the murder of Salman Rushdie, a British citizen an Isma’ili Shi’a who parodied the Prophet of Islam in his book.

The Sunni Ulema were caught off-guard when their young got involved in the passion play, mainly orchestrated by Shi’a Iran.

This event can be considered the death-knell for Taqleed –  a time when the young Muslims lost faith in their old to protect Islam. The 1000-year old system of Shafi’i methodology, which relied on Muslim governorate to implement Shari’ah, proved utterly outdated to help minority Muslims to solve their problems. In the Muslim majority countries, the Socialists-led courts were puppies for their dictators.

February 1989: In a small isolated corner of the Muslim world, in Algeria, the masses voted Al-Jabhah al-Islaamiyah lil–Inqaadh (Islamic Salvation Front, FIS) to power in the 1st round of newly-called elections by the socialist dictators.

Astonished at their loss, the socialist-military banned the 2nd round of elections citing FIS leader – Ali bin Hajj’s – statement: there is no democracy because the only source of power is Allah through the Quran, and not the people. They pointed to the US ambassador’s assessment of the Muslim Revivalist election to power: ‘One Man, One Vote, One Time’. The Trinity of Devils was re-called. The armed struggle had begun in earnest. In Algeria.

December 1991: The mighty Soviet Union fell, in some part due to the economic effects of Afghan Invasion. The Soviet invasion lasted a decade, costing them ~$3 billions and hundreds of young men. The victory became the ‘proof’ of the Divine Help that many Muslims had so often heard from the mimbars of the madaaris.

While the elite celebrated the ‘End of History’, some young Muslim men wanted to establish God’s Laws on earth, as envisioned to them by god-fearing and rich masters.

In Algeria, the FIS cells were ruthlessly suppressed, in agreement with the world powers. Post-Soviet Afghanistan bore out power-hungry warlords that devoured each other in the name of tribes and egos; despite incitement, the Iranians did not assassinate Salman Rushdie.

The mess in the Muslim world had boiled on to the top. And more was to come. The population of Muslims had reached a billion, the quarter of the humanity. 60-70% were illiterate; the supply chain for Jihad was unlimited. Or so, they thought.