ABSTRACT
Comprehension of the ideological and religious motives for the use of terror by Iran and Shiite entities necessitates a discussion of three main areas and the reciprocal ties among them: the general phenomenon of Islamic fundamentalism must be examined; the basic principles of the Shiite faith must be studied. Finally, an analysis must be conducted vis-à-vis Khomeini's philosophy, which combines Islamic radicalism and fundamentalism with the unique principles of the Shia, and translates them into a policy that counts terror as one of the tools for its fruition. At the end of the 1950s, the Shia also began to awaken, and Shiite fundamentalism as an ideological-political movement started developing in the religious center of Najef, radiating its influence upon the Shiite population of Iran and Lebanon. Khomeini's theory is based on his interpretations of several key issues in Shiite Islam and the adaptation of the solutions to the new reality of the twentieth century.
