Influence matters in history. When we assess the relative importance of historical figures in the second half of the twentieth century, it is impossible not to notice the driving figure behind the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Along with the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the French Revolution of 1789, the Iranian Revolution was a revolution in the profoundest sense of the word: an entirely new paradigm was created to supplant the preexisting system. Ayatollah Khomeini was the symbol, the main protagonist, and the driving force behind this revolution; and its influence immediately burst Iran’s borders to shake the entire Middle East to its foundations.
This influence is still profoundly felt today. And yet the figure of Khomeini as a leader and as a man is almost entirely unknown in the West. His books and writings are practically unavailable, and his methods of leadership are shrouded in mystery and confusion.
Baqer Moin, the head of the BBC’s Persian Service, published a well-written and informative biography of Khomeini in 1999 called Khomeini: Life Of The Ayatollah. As an Iranian from a religious family, and as a former seminarian from some of Iran’s most respected religious institutions, he was uniquely positioned to provide insight on his subject’s background and political life. Through Moin’s work, we can begin to understand some of Khomeini’s motivations and principles of leadership.
As an influential historical figure, Khomeini’s ideas are worthy of serious study by anyone with a sincere interest in history and personality. I should point out here that understanding does not necessarily equate with endorsement. I personally do not believe theocratic states to be the ideal form of government, nor do I necessarily agree with all of Khomeini’s policies and decisions. Yet there is no denying that the figure of the Imam was and is a giant one; and he cannot be ignored if we wish to consider ourselves informed students of history.
From my reading of Moin’s biography, I believe that it is possible to distill some central principles of Khomeini’s leadership style. These are summarized below.
Have A Unifying Vision And Get Your Message Out There
From his earliest years, Khomeini was a unshakeable believer in political Islam. This ran counter to nearly everyone else in the clerical establishment, and it involved serious risk to him a person. Until his last days, he never wavered from the idea that it was possible to create a society (velayat-e faqih) based on Islamic principles as he interpreted them, and ruled by enlightened clerics. In his view, this type of society could be superior to “both East and West.” His single-minded belief in this idea sustained him through persecution at the hands of the Shah, exile, war, and isolation by the United States and its allies.
Do Your Own Thing
This is perhaps the most important lesson that Khomeini’s career can teach us. Early on in his life, he sensed that the West would not accept the Middle Eastern nations no matter what they did. He sensed, as few leaders in the region today seem to realize, that no amount of groveling or subservience to the United States and Israel will ever win the hearts and minds of the West. No matter how much you try to be polite to the United States, they will never fundamentally accept you, and will always come up with pretexts to undermine you. Their minds are closed to anyone who doesn’t worship them.
Essentially, he said to himself: they’re never going to accept us no matter what we do, so we might as well just do our own thing and be proud of who we are. And what lesson could be more important than this? It is one that all of us should take note of. The way to get people’s respect is not through obsequious displays of subservience, but through cultivating an independence of spirit and a fortitude of will that can be felt perceptibly.
You Pay A High Price For Your Independence, But It Is Worth It
“Neither East nor West”, was one of the slogans of the revolution. Nothing is more precious than one’s freedom and independence, and this is something that cannot be sold to the highest bidder. But you will pay a high price for your independence. By not turning his country into a puppet of the United States and Israel (like many other countries in the region), he incurred the unmitigated wrath of the forces of bullying and global arrogance. So, if you wish to be independent—truly independent—you will need to prepare for a backlash from people who cannot stand the sight of someone who plays by their own rules.
By standing up to the arrogance and violence of the United States and Israel, he knew that he would be demonized and vilified. And yet the price was worth it, because today Iran is beholden to no foreign power, in stark contrast to some of the other countries in the region.
You Have A Duty To Stand Up To Bullying And Arrogance
Khomeini always refused to back down to intimidation, threats, and blackmail. In the Shia tradition, resistance to tyranny is something of a religious obligation; and to this Khomeini added his own unique blend of charisma and willpower. After the consolidation of the revolution in 1980, there were countless attempts to subvert and undermine him, but he always prevailed by refusing to take the easy way out.
Know Your People
Moin’s account is full of anecdotes of Khomeini’s intuitive understanding of the Iranian psyche and the other peoples in the region. He understood why the common people so deeply resented the Shah’s attempts to “Europeanize” Iran; he understood how to tap into the grievances of Shia communities in south Lebanon and Iraq, and win them to his cause; and he understood how to consolidate and maintain his hold on power after arriving back in Iran from years of exile in France, Turkey, and Iraq.
Cultivate Your Own Circle
Khomeini always had a deeply loyal following which supported and sustained him during many years of painful exile in Iraq, Turkey, and France. He valued personal relationships and was always quick to return a good gesture. By living a simple and exemplary life, avoiding pointless quarrels, and showing a genuine interest in people, he was able to attract a devoted core following.
Master The Technology Of The Day
I was impressed at how Khomeini’s followers stressed the innovation of recording his speeches and lectures on cassette tapes and smuggling them into Iran for clandestine broadcast. It may be a minor detail, but it shows a real willingness to adapt and improvise the technologies of the day to one’s own use.
Always Stay One Step Ahead Of Your Opponents
In his duel with the Shah, Khomeini was able to exert unrelenting pressure over a sustained period of time. No matter what the Shah did, Khomeini was able to turn it against him and take the upper hand. The Shah’s government would pass a law, and Khomeini would order demonstrations to oppose it; violence would result, and more demonstrations would follow. Towards the end of the Shah’s rule, this pattern became so common as to be almost grotesque: the country became nearly paralyzed. The Shah’s indecision and vacillation stands in stark contrast to Khomeini’s iron-willed determination.
Cultivate Your Mystical Side
This was the side of Khomeini I found most fascinating. From his earliest days as a seminarian, Khomeini showed a keen interest in the writings of the Sufi mystics, chief among them Ibn Arabi, Suhrawardi, and Ibn Sina. These doctrines gave him a source of contemplation for union with the Divine, and a source of personal solace. I believe they were a deeply influential part of his personal belief system in ways that have never been fully appreciated in the West. Mysticism gave him access to a body of wisdom, spirituality, and serenity that helped him achieve his goals and overcome his obstacles. He wrote extensively on this subject, but unfortunately his writings are nearly impossible to procure.
Towards the end of his life, he even got into some trouble himself when he recommended to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev some books of the Sufi mystics. Some circles in Iran attacked him strenuously for this, as well as for some controversial television programs Khomeini made about mysticism.
In this, as in so many other things, he proved himself a true rebel. Mysticism is looked upon by some with disfavor, as it emphasizes a personal spiritual union with the Divine, rather than an outward conformity to standard ritual. According to biographer Moin, Khomeini actually was as much a rebel in the eyes of “reactionary clerics” as he was to his enemies abroad.
Conclusion
Although Khomeini himself never wrote on the subject of leadership, it is clear that his life provides indications of what concepts he valued. Some of them I have summarized above. Interested readers will find much in Moin’s biography of value, and it stands as perhaps the only fair treatment of this towering historical figure that has yet been published in the English language.
Read More: A Hero Of Our Time
Khomeini, aka Sean Connery
I suspect connery could play Khomeni in a movie 🙂
seriously, you are the most retarded poster here
what is with all this fantasy bullshit you love to post
when was the last time you had some real world experience instead of spending your time in the basement reading fantasy literature and playing medieval rpgs and strategy games and studying latin and philosophy to feel like an intellectual hipster?
do you think people / hot women in the real world give a shit about the shit you think / write?
I think the Iranian revolution is really interesting. I don’t see why you feel the need to harass the author just because it doesn’t appeal to you personally.
Literature is objective, if you don’t like what he writes that is your opinion. We here at RoK have the right to express whatever we deem fit. People find it interesting, because every historical event has a lesson. Quit being arrogant.
How’s the weather in Israel this morning?
Dreary with a chance of projection.
This is a very simple post and won’t appeal to the more intellectual members on this site. Your bullet points:
Have A Unifying Vision And Get Your Message Out There
Do Your Own Thing
You Pay A High Price For Your Independence, But It Is Worth It
and the rest of them could just as easily have been written about Israel, leaders of the American revolution, etc. and could have been much more interesting ha you chose a different route, but it’s clear this article is a thinly veiled attempt to insert your personal political bias into ROK.
When can we expect to read your ‘more interesting’ articles that appeal to the ‘more intellectual members of this site’?
You are only quoting the headings, without reading the content. Go back and re-read.
What about the part about mysticism? Could that have applied to the leaders of the American revolution?
And I did write a post about a leader of the American revolution, O informed one.
Click on my name above, scroll down the list of articles, and you’ll see a post on John Paul Jones a couple months ago.
Revolutions revolve around cult of personality type figures, and mysticism is hardly alien to these people. Certainly the American revolutionaries invoked a sense of mysticism citing the laws of God and Nature in the opening lines of the Deceleration of Independence as well as ratifying a state religion in all 13 of the original colonies. Most revolutionaries invoke a sense of mysticism, but the interesting thing about American revolutionaries is that they sought to address religion and the natural law in how it pertains to individual liberty, as opposed to the more common exploitative tactics used by figures like Khomeini.
Ignoring the oft repeated themes on this site that your article references, the anti American/anti Israel tone struck me as a highlight. That your immediate response to criticism was to scapegoat the writer as being Israeli, though the content of his post didn’t reference anything of the sort, affirms your bias and that this piece is more about making political jabs than making an insightful or unique contribution to the subject of masculinity.
Drawing lessons from another’s life and then distilling the information as a neat compendium of traits is eminently valuable. When the person’s success as a leader is undeniable, then the specifics of how they embodied these traits are a concrete proof of efficacy.
“Thinly veiled attempt to insert your personal bias.” What would that be? As Quintus Curtius suggests, if you’ve read his other articles, then there’s no way you could confuse him as a hack or shill for the Ayatollah. The Ayatollah is an historical figure whose life and thoughts few Westerners have access to (or a desire to explore); the exposition is thus valuable. Heaping praise on the man’s beliefs would be one thing, but from what I can tell, QC dissociates the value of his method from the value of his ideology.
As for the “Israeli” jab, Whatafag’s criticism was so far off base that it clearly came from a biased position itself, warranting the degrading implication that the critic is purely a product of his environment rather than an autonomous and free thinking individual who’s capable of abstraction.
Is that you KalosLagos?
The Israeli jab is on the level of a feminist calling a man a racist because he’s speaking against false rape claims, that is to say there’s no connection between the statement and the response. “How’s the weather in Israel this morning?” could have been directed towards anyone who was critical of this article and it’s the kind of response a person would have in waiting for any first critic.
I’ll give you that “Whatafag” response was poor, and his comment could have easily been deconstructed, but instead of saying something meaningful the author chose the route of the ah hominem. As such he’s contributed to the collective dumbing down of his audience rather than enlightening them. The author’s notion that his critic must be an Israeli, and yours that by extension he’s incapable of abstraction, reveals more about the author’s and your bias in affirming it than it does about about the critic being addressed, as it’s a generic swipe that literally says nothing about the critic. I’m curious, do you believe that Israeli’s are incapable of rational thought?
Having a background in history I do understand the value of drawing lessons from another’s life to distill information, and I’ll even give you that this is an interesting topic to write about. That said, this article is so generic in it’s delivery that it’s contribution to intellectual discourse in the realm of masculinity can be compared to McDonald’s contribution to health food.
So you pretty much have nothing to say except “don’t pick on Israel!” Newsflash, geopolitically, Israel is as much a pawn between the games of US and Russia as all the other third world holes, and the minute it ceases to be useful to US foreign interests, it will be thrown into a trash heap. Newsflash #2- Saudi Arabia & Jordan are ALLIGNED with Israel because they hate Iran and see it as a threat. THATS why Israel appears strong. Tehran could bomb Tel Aviv, but what would they gain? Read a book on foreign affairs, you stupid amateur.And being critical of Israel doesn’t mean your a anti-semite, you bitch fag cunt. You and your ilks days of anti-intellectual bullying are over. Go fuck yourself.
No one said anything about anti-Semitism until you brought it up. When a man defends himself against accusations that haven’t been made it’s usually a sign of guilt, and it’s clear that you have hate in your heart.
Tell me, how am I the bully in this scenario? I’m not the one with bigoted insults in waiting designed to demean someone based on what I think their nationality is. I’m also not the one leveling insults like “bitch fag cunt” while trying to demean a nation of people as living in a third world hole (ironically using Silicon Wadi developed technology to do it…). I would hope more people would stand up for someone who’s a target of this behavior, regardless of what their nationality is, but maybe some groups of men are more equal than others here.
Had I not seen this behavior taking place I could have written this off as a lackluster article, as it brings nothing new to the table at ROK and is generic to the point that it could have been written about any revolutionary figure. Instead Quintus showed he had another agenda, and I felt compelled to speak. The irony isn’t lost on me that this behavior is coming from and silently encouraged by the same author/moderator that wrote “Hatred is a Poison.”
I hope you decide to keep this place classy, but if this is how you choose to act and the direction you plan to take, there’s not much left for a gentlemen like myself to say.
No one said anything about anti-Semitism until you brought it up. When a man defends himself against accusations that haven’t been made it’s usually a sign of guilt, and it’s clear that you have hate in your heart.
Tell me, how am I the bully in this scenario? I’m not the one with bigoted insults in waiting designed to demean someone based on what I think their nationality is. I’m also not the one leveling insults like “bitch fag cunt” while trying to demean a nation of people as living in a third world hole (ironically using Silicon Wadi developed technology to do it…). I would hope more people would stand up for someone who’s a target of this behavior, regardless of what their nationality is, but maybe some groups of men are more equal than others here.
Had I not seen this behavior taking place I could have written this off as a lackluster article, as it brings nothing new to the table at ROK and is generic to the point that it could have been written about any revolutionary figure. Instead Quintus showed he had another agenda, and I felt compelled to speak. The irony isn’t lost on me that this behavior is coming from and silently encouraged by the same author/moderator that wrote “Hatred is a Poison.”
I hope you decide to keep this place classy, but if this is how you choose to act and the direction you plan to take, there’s not much left for a gentlemen like myself to say.
I see you changed your upvote on Energy Laws comment to a guest account to hide it. You’re a coward Quintus.
I haven’t done anything under a “guest” handle and don’t know what you’re talking about. I upvoted his comment using my own handle and will continue to do so.
You obviously are some sort of political partisan of the pro-Zionist stripe. Hope that works out for you. The only one here with a political agenda here is you. I’ll pass the message on to Hassan Nasrallah.
No one here is intimidated by your innuendo and threats. Go back and tell that to your masters.
Where have I threatened anyone? The only threat I’ve seen came from you just now, the moderator of a website with access to my information, saying you’re going to forward it to the leader of a militant group, Hassan Nasrallah. I’m guessing it’s a poor attempt at humor/intimidation on your part. On the other hand if you feel intimidated but what I’ve said here, that’s nothing more than your reaction to criticism and/or people standing up to the bigotry you’re promoting against Israel and Jewish people.
For example, when someone wrote “Excellent article. This article would never made it passed the editors in the mainstream media run by…” You’re response was an up vote and a comment that they were “Precisely” right.
You are correct in that I have an agenda, that being to oppose your bullying,which is ironically something you claim to support in this article. For you to claim you don’t have an agenda of your own seems rather disingenuous, considering you’ve been demeaning Jewish people (both Israeli and not) throughout you’re article and the comments here, attacking people based on your perception that they must be Israeli (one step above saying “ignore his opinion, he’s a jew”) and encouraging people to promote anti Semitic stereotypes…
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where your head is. And believe it or not, I’m speaking independently and have no “masters” as you put it. I don’t answer to some kind of Jewish cabal.
As for you hiding and reinstating your upvote on “Energy Law’s” comment, I saw that you supported it despite the poor grammar and foul language. When I came back to check the status later, after I had responded and made a comment about how you’re silently encouraging this disgusting behavior, your vote was strangely missing and replaced with a guest’s. I don’t know if it was a glitch on the site, or you acting in cowardice by removing your name from his support after having been called out. The latter certainly would be in line with your denial of promoting an agenda while simultaneously encouraging antizionism/antisemitism or whatever you want to call it.
The bottom line is that the bias in your words goes beyond criticism of a political movement and enter the realm of discrimination and sectarianism. Perhaps I’m wrong, but based on your actions here I expect you’re going to carry on promoting this agenda that you claim not to have, as you’ve pretty much said that you would in the the first line of your comment…
Time will tell.
agreed. But they oonly side with Isreal cuz the USA does heavily involve temsevles in those lands. They even have miltray bases there
Israel will wipe Iran of the face of the Earth. Whether Iran gets nuclear arms or it doesn’t. Whether it has US help or it doesn’t. I have no horse in this race but I’m willing to get Israels military technology is superior to Irans.
*bet
Russia might have a thought or two on the matter. : )
Russia hates Islam, you only need to look so far as the Chechnyan conflict to see that they view Islam as a threat to the Orthodox Russian people. Iran is an ally insofar as the US doesn’t have the monopoly on their oil supplies.
Well if thats the case why dont they let chechnya and dagestan seperate like central asia(kazkh uzbek etc). The reason they dont cuz theirs an oil pipe line through that land from the caspian sea thats why. Russian or slavics should I say are occupying their land.
He does have a point about hot women. They really dont give a shit about improving their level of intelligence.
What an idiot. Anyone who can see further than an inch in front of them can appreciate the value of posts like this – giving information that allows you to understand more about the world and it’s influential figures, in turn allowing you to apply the principles to improving yourself.
THAT, will ultimately result in more ‘hot women’, idiot. Keep up the good work Quintus.
Seriously, any one sentence of the article far outweighs the total merit of your entire post. How about the next time you feel the need to vent like a bitch, you just go scream into a pillow? You’ll feel better and the public won’t be subjected to your embarrassingly feminine histrionics.
Piss off you tosser. Good post Quintus Curtius….keep up the good work.
JIDF detected
This article is a great reminder to make every successful man your teacher, even if you disagree with them, or are used to considering them to be a “bad guy.” Anyone that goes out and achieves what they are after has something to teach you. Learn from everyone, even your “enemies.”
agreed, absolutely interesting article. we learn more from our enemies than we do from our ‘friends’
Or actually is a bad guy. I understand that one can learn from one’s enemies, but Quintus Curtius sounds as if he rather lives under Khomeini’s Iran than in the West – which I find bizarre.
Khomeini clearly is an enemy to most values I hold, and I would hope that I’m not alone in this sentiment.
I hate feminism: That doesn’t mean I’m for stoning women for adultery. I strongly dislike the power the American federal government has: That doesn’t mean I am on friendly terms with all those they profess to fight.
That would be like wanting people to starve because one dislikes welfare.
Islam has nothing to be proud of. Their cultures produce nothing of value.
Some people here should get their priorities straight.
“Islam has nothing to be proud of. Their cultures produce nothing of value.”
You’re an uneducated redneck are you?
Islam is the reason why the middle ages weren’t a barren period for scientific advancement. But please, keep up your simplicistic, 2 bit thinking.
> You’re an uneducated redneck are you?
I’m a German mathematician. What are you, asshole?
> Islam is the reason why the middle ages weren’t a barren period for scientific advancement.
Ever had an annoying feminist mention Marie Curie to you to prove that a woman can indeed pioneered something?
Well, at least they don’t have to go back to the middle ages to find an example.
Also, even back then it wasn’t *Islam* that held up the banner of reason. It was just people in the Islamic world, ie. certain Muslim moderates and Jews. *Islamists* have always been in opposition to reason, hence it’s quite ridiculous to now give them credit for not having prevented a bit of reason that flourished in the middle east at some point.
> 2 bit thinking
I suggest you stick to the phrase “black and white thinking” like normal people who want to pretend intellectual superiority. That way, you don’t undermine your bluff by betraying that you don’t know what a bit is.
Indeed, wrt Islam and the “dark ages”. This is a myth that really needs to be busted, hard.
It was the Christians (Nestorian and Orthodox flavors) living under Islamic rule, as well as the moderate Muslims and Jews that made what advancements were made in that region at that time. And even they got a lot of it from India.
As for Europe, those times were horrible because of the marauding, roving bands of *goths, etc. and famines and diseases galore.
But the Church, via its monasteries, preserved the learning and knowledge and culture through it all, even if they weren’t really able to make all that many advances because of the shitstorm going on around them. (They were in survival mode.)
This whole idea that “the Christians were anti-science and created the Dark Ages, while the Muslims were brilliant scholars who advanced civilization” is complete balderdash.
“The Leadership Secrets Of Ayatollah Khomeini”
Ah no.
Khomeini had one setting…rail against western interests. Notice how there is never any discussion about the removal of Mohammad Mosaddegh, the last democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran by the hands of BP and American oil interests? Why? Because if not for this coup there would have never been a rise in any Ayatollah…. ever.
Khomeini wasn’t a leader, he was a opportunist.
Khomeini was a brutal dictator who overthrew another brutal dictator. Don’t delude yourself into believing that the Shah was much better than Khomeini. Of course, if not for Mosaddegh’s overthrow, the Shah never would have come to power.
Khomeini struck at the right time, when Iran wasn’t in good shape.
RAH, RAH, POOPIE SHAH
As wrong as Khomeini was about religion, not that I’m biased or anything, as my family are Iranian, and several of my family members were killed by the muslim rulers for their (lack of) belief, and my entire family had to flee first to Canada (where I was born) and then to California (where I grew up) or else they would be slaughtered en masse as well, I do have to admit, the guy knew how to lead people…
and notwithstanding being from an Iranian family, I’m still a staunch supporter of Israel. Just sayin’…
Had your Israeli heroes not trained the Shah’s Savak secret police to terrorize and torture his own people, Khomeini would never have been able to take over.
well of course youll have personal annimostey towards Iran. Since you were a direct victim of the government being played by foreigin players. I noticed that the persian that are anti Iran are the ones that came here around the 79 revolution. Chances are your family was somehow loyal to the shah and you were targeted. Its always traitors to the nation that are most critical of theri home land….very uncle tom like.
So from what I’ve been able to deduce from this, Khomeini followed several of the 48 Laws:
6. Court attention at all costs.
9. Win through your actions, never through argument.
15. Crush your enemy totally.
19. Know who you’re dealing with. Never offend the wrong person.
28. Enter action with boldness.
27. Play on people’s need to believe to create a cultlike following (emphasize the sensual over the intellectual)
37. Create compelling spectacles.
42. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter.
43. Work on the hearts and minds of others.
47. In victory, learn when to stop.
That’s just from what I’ve seen so far here. The most pertinent description was that he knew the U.S. and Israel would never respect Iran no matter what they did.
Muslims, particularly Iranians, are neoreactionaries of their own kind. Khomeini was more successful as a man than as a statesman, Iran is still far behind other countries in it’s human development index rating. And I haven’t seen Israel or Saudi Arabia showcase a brand new cardboard stealth fighter jet either.
Khomeini overthrow the democracy to set up a religious state with Sharia Law. Not a great role model IMO
Democracy? You might wanna read some books. Maybe you could attend some classes at the School Of The Americas.
Pretty nice article on leadership!
Good post. there is a lot to be gained from careful study of individuals with strong influence. And strong leadership is context-dependent; a great revolutionary leader might be a lousy leader at time of peace.
Great post. Most individuals don’t know what it takes to be a leader and to be independent. So much inner strength and self-belief are required, and by reading history and the prominent figures involved can help in developing the needed traits in becoming a leader and not some sheepish follower. The animating contest of freedom trumps the tranquility of servitude.
“The animating contest of freedom trumps the tranquility of servitude.”
Beautiful sentence…I like.
Islam is not freedom it means submission( literally) the people are ideological slaves no different to North Korea. Saddam put millions of Iranians to the sword, the people are impoverished and the Ayotolla’s net worth is over 100 billion greater than their oil exports because he takes over businesses like a communist regime.
You’re an absolute moron. The Ayatollah represents Shi’ite interpretations of Islam which have little historical credence (from a Ahadith point of view).
Secondly, Islam means the attainment of inner and external peace via submission to God. One of God’s 99 Names is Al-Haqq, or the Truth. So, in other words, the philosophy behind Islam is that once you ‘submit’ and ’embrace’ the truth, you will live in a state of order internally, that will resonate externally in the form of an orderly family, an orderly state, and an orderly globe etc.
This is an idea all of us embrace anyways. Why are you all here learning game? Because, you want to embrace the truth of gender and sexual-dynamics so as to attain internal order and peace (i.e. the fulfillment of your needs) and external order and peace (ex. creating and/or maintaining a sexual relationship). This is just one dynamic and there are many, many others. This is why Islam is seen as a way of life.
well Saddam was kept in power thanks to the USA. He basically did whatever they said he was a puppet, he got invaded when he wont his own way and stopped listening to the states.
“Islam is not freedom it means submission( literally) the people are ideological slaves no different to North Korea.”
NK is a country that is slave to a person. Islam means submission to God.
How is that in any way different to Christians who submit to God?
“Hurr durr, I’m an edgy islamophobic faggot”
“they’re never going to accept us no matter what we do, so we might as well just do our own thing and be proud of who we are.”
never mind running a country, this is the best advice you can have when dating women
Islam is a demonically inspired false religion that must be resisted to a martyr’ send if necessary. That said, good article.
The triumph of Islam is historically inevitable. It is the one religion that understands human nature exactly as it is. And it will be the sword by which feminism is finally defeated in the West. Eventually the manosphere will come to realize that the only religion on Earth that supports male dominance to the point of making polygamy lawful will never be subverted by self-destructive feminism and other bad ideas that developed under Judeo-Christian culture. Islam is the future, because it is the religion of nature.
Thank You. Bitches (omega men in the west) need to come to grips with this shit!
Islam may indeed have a chance in the West if they can come to terms with booze and bacon.
And ditch the headscarves too please.
I have a fetish for girls who wear the hajib. On many occasions I’ve fucked my moroccan, egyptian, and pakistani girlfriends while they wore their headscarves and high heels in bed. Hey, I’m kinky that way! So speak for yourself!
Surely, you’re not scoring particularly conservative and religiously practicing girls. Are they more ‘progressive’ and ‘liberal’ or do they simply feel sexually repressed? I find that many of them, due to their preserved femininity, are quite naive and like all women, emotionally driven, and it’s precisely for these reasons that their male relatives are often made guardians over them. How do you by-pass the male guardians?
@disqus_nxy7kBlPZ3:disqus
worldmusic is jjust joking. moroccan are the more librarl of the 3(for muzzy standards) but difficult to pull off. pakistani grils are pullable online and chances are she grew up in an all white area and succumb to being white washe feminist. But if she gets caught which is eventually cuz they have big mouths. YOur ass is on the line. Gurunteed.
I thought so; these women are instinctively trained to recognize healthy masculinity too especially because the men from their cultures are usually more dominant. On top of this, they understand the interdependent nature of society and communities so they are very weary of their reputations and “chastity”. It could ruin their life if their reputation was tarnished.
Islam doesn’t know the psyche of people anymore than any other religion.it is the same slave mentality that is repeated by the Judeo-Christian dogmatic sheep. Virgindom is prized in Islam just as other religions and will therefore be its downfall as it prizes women for their monopoly on sex. The more that a women’s sexuality is repressed the more they rebel. Iran has underground sex parties etc. the more people who join Islam the more watered down the religion because they bring their culture into the religion.
well duh, human mentality is slave mentality
What absolute nonsense; you need to take your head out of your ass and do some actual research on sexuality in Islam. The inherent understanding of gender-dynamics and sexuality in Islam slaps your primitive ‘game’ (i.e. rediscovery of some of the most basic truths known to every other generation of men outside the recent few) all the way to the cosmic wastelands. Here’s a start. Research: “Islamic Guide to Sexual Relations” by Mufti Ibn Adam Al-Kawthari.
the country would never be this rebellious if USA didnt interervene. THey went from hyper liberarl and the reaction of the masses went to hyper conservative. The persian YOuth wouldnt be this way if they hadnt overthrwe theri government. Islam does talk about how gendar relations work and how men should behave. It teaches you to be alpha not beta like other relgions(except sikism they have sainthood)
I’ve studied this religion for over ten years (along with another 20 or 30, plus having shaken hands with and familiarised myself with over a hundred more). Islam has no concept of nature, or of human psychology. The guy who invented it was a warmonger, a narcissist and a pedophile, among other savoury traits. It’s said that “you can know a tree by its fruit”, and no sense of humanity can come from a religion that was invented by such a guy
Judging by your idiocy and bitch-like whining, I highly doubt you’re very familiar with this brilliant religion. I am more impressed with the intricate and holistic understanding of human psychology (ex. as expressed through the concept of the nafs, gender roles, gender-dynamics, social-philosophy etc.) than with that presented by ANY other religion or social philosophy.
You’re an imbecile who needs to take his head out of his ass.
Verse citations and translators commentary. Bring it.
Hey neurotic monkey; arguing on a ROK comments section about the authenticity of Islam is the epitome of non-productive and wussy-behaviour. However, I would love to invite you to debate us at MDI (Muslim Debate Initiative). That is a proper platform.
This coming from an individual who directs name-calling at a random person on the internet
Still acting like a butt-hurt neurotic monkey. I’ll assume you’re chickening out from the challenge then.
Please read your own commentary. Take some time to breathe and to mull it over.
Miguel.. If you guys go off someplace else, the readers here may lose out on an interesting discussion.
So whatever top-level points you may have, why dont you make it here. It sure sounds interesting.
Are you saying that Islam’s understanding of human psychology is superior even to that of modern science? (forget about other religions, and “social philosophies”)
I like what you’re saying, but let’s not kid ourselves. The sort of ‘male dominance’ and accurate understanding of human nature, that Islam reflects–also puts forth HEAVY responsibilities for both men and women. It’s easy to scream, “yay, finally my dominance is recognized!” but this is meaningless unless you actively maintain it and shoulder the responsibilities that come with it. The Caliphs each had to make ENORMOUS sacrifices in order to maintain and preserve Islam.
Thank you for your thoughts, Miguel. but its pearls before swine with this crowd. (My focus is using game in the middle east, so an understanding of this culture is a must)
Definitely, but an intellectual slap in the face is a must in these times. That’s fascinating. How do you go about doing that? I can imagine it being possible in places like Morocco, Pakistan, and perhaps Egypt (and even then, operating with tact to avoid being caught publicly is a must), but in a place like Saudi Arabia–that would require super secret agent skills.
Bloody hell…Aytallah what?leadership?Is it a joke?
Just another proof of the common idea in the seduction community that ROK is a hang-out place for brown skinned middle eastern and indian angry beta boys.
A white dude has nothing to do here.It started good but the quality went down too quick.I regret the time I lost on this site.Ta-da
Little known fact: Khomeini’s idea of clerical rule, or wilayat i fiqh was inspired by his study of Plato’s Republic and the idea of the philosopher-king.
Then he obviously fundamentally misunderstood not just Plato’s Republic, but probably most of European philosophy.
Iran is one of the most interesting historical and political topics. Regarding Khomeini and the Shah, read this article, “http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/history/item/4690-iran-and-the-shah-what-really-happened”
This is not MSM and is libertarian viewpoint, but essentially Khomeini was used as a puppet by the West to undermine and overthrow the Shah. The Shah funded Egypt during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and Israel did not forget that. The Saudi’s were envious of the Shah’s power (Iran was the undoubtedly the powerhouse of the ME) and the fact that Iran was Shia didn’t help. Iran had, by various measures, one of the top 5 militaries in the world. (Only country other than the US to have the F14). The OPEC 73 energy crisis (or profit maximization for the nationalized Iranian oil), guess who was behind that? You guessed…the Shah. Yes, he did torture his enemies and arrest haphazardly political dissidents. But that is the only argument that people have against him. What will happen when the Arabians and the Shiite rebel against the Saudi monarchy, will they have dialogue or will the Saudis decapitate every rebel? The fact is, the Shah was becoming way too powerful and independent. He was trying to develop nuclear technology in Bushehr and Siemens had a facility there in 74. The West realized that with nuclear independence, military might, booming economy (frequently compared to Japan’s), the culture and intelligence of the Iranian people (Iran is #1 in the world for “brain drain” emigration, that the Shah had to go. That’s what happens to every ME nation. Look at Egypt, look at Libya. Read what Gadafi did for the Libyans, look at the freedom of the Egyptians under Mubarak. Not one reader can honestly say why we removed those two leaders without bringing up MSM bullshit. Here’s my theory, yes Khomeini was a charismatic and fearless leader (both monarchist and Islamists have to agree with that), but the West supported him (read the article) and propped him up because they wanted to set Iran back another 50 to 100 years. BUT, my theory is that once Khomeini got to Iran and was protected by his Revolutionary guard, he gave a big F-U to the West. So the West and Saudis pushed Iraq to attack Iran in retaliation.
No one can deny that the Shah was a great leader, but he did not have the charisma of Khomeni and had he Khomeini killed in 64 instead of exiled then we wouldn’t be talking about this. Nonetheless, anyone who keeps Iran powerful and united is a true leader. Kish Island was designed like to be exactly like what Dubai is today. Have you ever wondered why no one knows about Dubai before the 1980s. I think they stole the Shahs plans for the Persian Gulf islands via the British engineers. Iran is one of the most superior minded nations in the world (Aryan heritage) and has over 7000 years of history and over 5000 years of monarchy. That’s not a joke.
I liked the article – greatly written. ROK needs to have something political and leadership based like this everyday to make the readers more intelligent instead (“Don’t date a girl who adopted a dog”). The men on this site need to have high status information provided and contributed to engage with other intelligent men. Leave the boy stuff for Facebook and Twitter.
Word.
Seems like opposite day. It is generally understood that the Shah was the puppet of the west.
The Shah was under the influence of the West up until about the early 70s. Afterwards, he despised the British and put more faith in the Americans as most Iranians had after dealing with British imperialism in the region. But several years before the revolution he tried cutting out the Americans and this is what happened. The Shah had to go from the Western standpoint.
I don’t know if he should be considered a great leader. He turned a cultivated nation with huge potential into a military-kleptocratic theocracy. In my book, you’re not a true leader if things actually end up worse because of you.
Well it still better off then being controled by the shah(an american puppet). The news that happens in Iran gets overblown here. I watched a travel show about the nation and did research about the nation by playing alittle devils advocate. Knowing the people of the middle east if Iran was as bad as they say it is he wouldve been outed. Iran would be Ill admit a far better nation if the USA didnt overthrow their government in 1953, which for some reason doesnt get as much attention as the 79 revolution since that was the root cause of it in the first place.
i read, and then re-read, this post. i’m quite appalled quintus. objective analyses of khomeni correctly portray him as a megalomaniacal brute. countless people have died because of this brutal tyrant.
stripped of their facade, the “leadership secrets” of men like khomeini and stalin can be distilled to the “primitive doctrine that might is right” – to quote george VI.
brother quintus: this point in particular struck me: “And yet the price was worth it, because today Iran is beholden to no foreign power”
please note the enormous price that has been paid, and that continues to be paid, for this intransigence. my highly educated cousins who are presently living in khomeini’s “republic” are utterly destitute. they, and the 70% of hte country under the age of 35, would greatly disagree with the assertion that the price was worth it.
Rez, brother, are you Persian?
yes i am! you as well?
My family are from Iran, though I was born in Vancouver, Canada, and I grew up in Los Angeles. Email me, brotherman!
musicusmundi -at- gmail
My family are from Iran, though I was born in Vancouver, Canada, and I grew up in Los Angeles. Email me, brotherman!
musicusmundi -at- gmail
well of course they say that they did live under the shahs rule. ANd still better than being the wests puppet. Some day Iran will go back to its pre shah days and grow from there. But the way USA played your nation is the reason why many young persians have this mentatly to their government.
I respect your view, Rez, and I suspected you would not approve. But historical truth has many faces.
I would ask: have you read Baqer Moin’s biography cited in the article?
Keep in mind that this article is very narrowly focused on “leadership traits”. I made a point at the outset to state that I did not necessarily agree with the Ayatollah’s doctrines or policies.
But since we are on that subject, I also ask: whose fault is it that Iran is under sanctions? Whose fault is it that the people are suffering?
Is it Iran who has kept in place a brutal embargo for no other reason than they don’t do what the US and Israel say?
Is it Iran who is murdering innocent nuclear scientists?
Is it Iran who is trying to hold up other nations’ technological progress?
Was it Iran who egged on, encouraged, and assisted Saddam Hussein in his 8 year war against Iran?
We both know who the 2 nations are who are behind these policies. They are the ones responsible.
Iran has been hostile towards the US and Israel since the 1979 revolution. Iran’s open hostility along with providing arms and training to militants who target American soldiers and Israeli civilians should factor into this conversation.
It’s irrational to think that the US and Israel are unjustified in responding to Iranian aggression.
I’m an atheist, but would willingly give my life in defense of Israel. Israel has accomplished in 50 years what Iran hasn’t been able to do in a thousand.
I’m Atheist myself. I can never set foot in Iran or most Islamic countries, since, as soon as I open my mouth about anything relating to human rights, somebody somewhere would report me to the authorities, and I’d be taken to trial and executed. It really is a major insult to history that Persia, the birthplace of human rights (look up the “Cyrus Cylinder”, though “Cyrus’s” name was actually Kourosh) is now one of the most oppressive fascist states on the planet. For sure, I would serve Israel if I had the opportunity. And as I’ve said in my earlier comments, the Ayatollah’s religion aside, the man did know how to lead people; I have to give him that.
I too am an atheist(the true minority of the world in every sense of the word) and I agree with both your sentiments. I would willingly put a sword in my hand in the defence of Israel. The dogma preached by these authoritarian regimes needs to be ended. It undermines free thought and expression.
email me, bro, let’s be in touch:
musicusmundi -at- gmail
An atheist Jew perhaps. You’re a Zionist scumbag.
you raise good points, and you remind me of the ultimate provocateur christopher hitchens in that respect 🙂 i hadn’t even heard of moin’s book until reading your essay. i shall order it.
i suppose what it comes down to for me is the following: when i find an individual utterly loathsome, i refuse to learn from him. there are so many other examples of fine men that i prefer to study and learn from (in the political domain, gandhi comes to mind. in the non-political world, a true gentleman and philanthropist like paul newman).
as for the embargo / sanctions, etc, you’re absolutely right. but the fact remains that the US is an empire that presently rules the world. realpolitik my friend. and like any imperial power, the US bullies and threatens and attacks when necessary to preserve and expand its interests. iran would behave in a similar manner if it presently ruled our little planet.
the US empire bullies and threatens and invades and imposes sanctions….granted. but the iranian regime isn’t exactly run by gentle peaceful tibetan buddhist monks. it is guilty of similar abuses, albeit in a more limited and regional manner (in syrian, lebanon, etc).
who are some of your political heroes? i’d be curious to know. greetings from vienna
Feel free do drop me a line at: [email protected]
This is an excellent article. I enjoyed the writing style and subject matter immensely. I think that articles emphasizing leadership and historical perspectives on it are valuable in our ‘interesting times’. I’m looking forward to more great articles to come.
Excellent article. This article would never made it passed the editors in the mainstream media run by…
Precisely.
In other news… http://www.theonion.com/articles/worldwide-jewish-conspiracy-worried-it-came-down-t,34815/
Iran takes too much shit from the west and it doesn’t deserve ANY of it. People seem to forget that the U.S. shot a whole friggin’ Iran Air passenger jet out of the sky in 1988!! Check it out here http://www.ingeniouspress.com/2013/10/18/the-forgotten-story-of-iran-air-flight-655/
Readers, take heed. The endgame for Roosh and his ilk is to
turn the West into a shithole like Khomeini’s Iran, where ‘game’ consists of
negotiating the number of goats to swap for your homely cousin. This is a “man” who crows about the West suppressing his freedom of speech, while in the same breath extolling the virtues of an authoritarian megalomaniac running a totalitarian regime. For those whose IQ is hovering just below the national average: Khomeini’s “leadership secret” was silencing his enemies by any means necessary. Omegus Retardus: be grateful the US government isn’t taking a page out of his book and go back to Iran to fight it out with your fellow savages.
Roosh had nothing to do with this article. I wrote it. The opinions expressed herein are mine alone. Leave him alone.
LOL.. Comments like this is what makes the internet Gold.
How did you come up with that? Did you have a serious face on when you wrote that?
We get all types of trolls here…..
I’d call it pretty good writing. Better than this article, at any rate.
You forgot two of the most important lessons:
1) After you win, kill your opponents.
2) After you have killed your opponents, then murder all of your erstwhile allies who don’t share your goals and ideology.
(Note that I am not advocating this sort of evil, but it is part and parcel of any dictatorship.)
After finally getting around reading this article – there many good things I can say. Sadly, most of the commenters have already expressed my thoughts in some way or another.
Keep writing, Quintus.
Wald
Quintus Curtius Although this is Khamenei’s official website, several teachings of Khomeini are therein. Besides, if Khamenei strayed too far from what Kohemeini espoused he wouldn’t be in power as is, so you more or less say they are one in the same:
http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/
Too bad he took a relatively scientifically literate culture and caused the majority of its most brilliant to flee the country, thus leading to decades of technological retardation…retardation that has put them at a significant disadvantage militarily. I mean, they’re just now starting to get around to being able to build a bomb that the Americans had SEVENTY years ago.
You can be an effective leader but what good is that if the doctrines you espouse are fundamentally regressive to the point where your country can’t compete with the rest of the world?
The “world” won’t respect you if your country’s led by Iron Age, poisonous religious beliefs. It won’t and shouldn’t. Europe got where it got because of separation of church and state, something the Islamic world still hasn’t grasped.