The Ayatollah Begs to Differ by Majd

Ref: Hooman Majd (2009). The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran. Penguin Publishing.

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Summary

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Shia Muslims
- Believe only men from the Prophet’s bloodline should lead the Muslim nation, or ummah, revere two martyred Imams above all the others: Ali, who was murdered, and his son Hussein, who died in battle against the prevailing rulers of Islam at Karbala in present day Iraq.
- Comprised of Clergy, Ayatollahs, and others.
- Relatively more liberal view of Islam in that the church can interpret the Koran and the Hadiths for the masses who might not have the educational and religious qualifications to do so.
Sunni Muslim
- Believe in Strict Islam that takes the Koran as the literal word of God.

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1953: A CIA engineered coup replaces the democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddegh, with the absolute dictator Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who had fled the country for Rome.-Ayatollah Begs to Differ by Majd.
- The British were able to convince US President IKE that the coup was necessary due to a communist threat after Mosaddegh nationalized the Iranian oil industry.

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