Class? Yes?
Teach—OK!




In the 2nd millenium BC, semi-nomadic IndoEuropean invaders settled on they called
“Ayryana Vaejo.”
The 2nd millenium BC was a really, really,
really long time ago.
Semi-nomadic means they traveled often—not
for fun, but for food—and planted crops at an
established location
The name changed through the centuries, it
was known as Persia and then Iran in 1935






And, like most rich countries, it got invaded ALL
the time by EVERYONE including:
Alexander the Great of Macedonia
From the west: Arabs (horses, yes. cowboys, no)
From the northwest: Turkey (gobble, gobble!)
From the northeast: Mongolia (how much for the
yak?)
Foreign domination could NOT squelch the
Persian culture and the invaders acclimated to it as
they sapped its resources (Koja dastshoo'e?)



The discovery of oil led to more interest in Iran by
more modernized, Western countries in the 20th
century. Of course…
Reza Shah, the ruler during WWII made the illadvised decision to sympathize with the Germans
and declared Iran a neutral zone. So, it was
invaded by everyone BUT the Germans. Khodahafez, Reza Shah!
Reza Shah’s son succeeded him and set a
precedent for rockstars and athletes for years to
come by becoming known simply as the Shah.
Salam, Madonna! Salam, Prince! Salam, Shack!




“Not so fast, Mohammed Mossadeq!” said Great
Britain in 1951 when the then prime minister
nationalized the oil industry. “That doesn’t help
us AT ALL!”
And they went at told their friends, the CIA, who
organized a coup to overthrow him.
Re-enter, The Shah. Salam, The Shah!
26 years later, The Shah was driven out by the
Islamic Revolution, much to the dismay of the CIA
who claimed in 1978 that Iran was no where near a
revolution. “When we said ‘not near’, we meant
‘totally’ near.”





It means hijab for women: modest dress and
always a veil.
It means men and women, boys and girls, were
no longer allowed to socialize.
It means western culture and capitalism were
renounced. Khoda-hafez, Cher!
It means you’ll be tortured if you oppose by the
Revolutionary Guards.
It means the rest of the world begins to
associate Islam with terror and brutality. This
is, is the reason for the book.