History on Fire
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EPISODE 111: When Monsters Choose War
🕑 Added 2025-05-18 16:40:32 +0000 UTC“It is our belief that Saddam wishes to return Islam to blasphemy and polytheism...if America becomes victorious...and grants victory to Saddam, Islam will receive such a blow that it will not be able to raise its head for a long time...The issue is one of Islam versus blasphemy, and not of Iran versus Iraq.” Ayatollah Khomeini
"We do not repent, nor are we sorry for even a single moment for our performance during the war. Have we forgotten that we fought to fulfill our religious duty and that the result is a marginal issue?" Ayatollah Khomeini
A friend of mine recently died after a lifetime of addiction. He was forcibly recruited to be a child soldier in the Iran-Iraq war when he was 13 years old. I think he died back then and spent the following 40 years slowly trying to finish the job. His death pushed me to create this episode about the war that took place during the 1980s. Please, keep in mind this is just an introduction to the topic rather than a deep-dive. And yet, in the course of this episode we’ll explore the 1953 oil coup that led to the rule by the Shah, the 1979 coup that turned Iran into a theocracy, the rise of Saddam Hussein, a televised purge, child soldiers, chemical weapons, martyrdom in the Shia tradition, and an American warship taking down an Iranian civilian airliner.
Comments
History on Fire
thank you!
Glenn Hudson
This was excellent.
History on Fire
It's a heavy topic but I don't get into too many specific stories, so not as heavy as it could have been
J Raza
I hope your friend shall feel peace and sending loads of love. I am nervous a bit to listen to this one! My family is half Persian and I have lived in Iran. In 10 years first one very close to home. Truly greatful for doing it. 💜
