ABSTRACT
Early in 1979, Egyptian media described the overthrow of the shah as essentially a victory for Islam—a victory which had ended un-Islamic foreign domination on the part of the Americans. The subject of Muslim victories over non-Muslims is, of course, non-controversial in the Muslim world, and the greatness of such victories can safely be glorified at all times and everywhere. Yet, in the spring of 1979 the Egyptian public might not yet have appreciated a more detailed and specific resume of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s ideology. Its author, Muhammad Abd al-Salam Faraj, holds views that are remarkably similar to those of Khomeini, but these similarities cannot be explained by assuming the direct influence of Khomeini and Khomeinism. The leadership of the Islamic revolutionary movement, so the Farida implies in a clear contradiction to Khomeini’s world view, can consequently not be in the hands of the ulama alone.
