A political commentator has praised Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution as an excellent example and great source of inspiration not just for Muslims, but also for all those who want to bring religion back to the center of the social order.
“It is indeed an epitome for all those who side with oppressed people against their oppressors, whatever their religious and philosophical beliefs,” Kevin Barrett told Press TV in an exclusive interview on Friday as Iranian people took to the streets to mark the 43rd anniversary of victory of the landmark event.
He highlighted that Imam Khomeini founded the world’s first Islamic republic in contemporary history, and forged a modern forward-looking Islamic society that would radically broke with Western political philosophy and its imperial world order.
“The West in general, and the United States and Israel in particular, have been inciting and waging covert and overt wars against the Islamic Republic of Iran for most of its 43-year history. The Islamic Republic, however, still stands unfazed, with a greater deterrent capability and more regional influence than ever,” Barrett pointed out.
He underlined that Iran’s experience has demonstrated that purchase of sophisticated and cutting-edge munitions and military equipment from imperialist powers would not guarantee national security, but it will rather be secured through reliance on domestic resources and ingenuity in order to develop an asymmetric warfare capability.
“By developing an independent capability in rocketry and space science, Iran has bolstered its ability to deter foreign aggression. The Iranian military, despite its relatively low expenditures, has managed to assemble an impressive array of defensive rockets that could inflict unacceptable levels of damage on Israeli military installations and cities and/or US ships and bases in the region if the Anglo-Zionist Empire ever followed through on its endless threats to launch a major attack on Iran,” the analyst pointed out.
He added, “Thanks to the work of Iranian scientists and strategists, Iran has achieved a defensive stalemate despite spending only a tiny fraction of the money the Empire lavishes on its aggression-addled military,” Barrett cited his writing in Crescent International magazine.
Iran’s military capabilities are enhanced by its dedicated and courageous personnel, who are not afraid to risk their lives for a just cause, while imperialist soldiers are terrified of death and generally lack a firm belief in God as they are fighting for an unjust cause, the pundit said.
Barrett went on to say that Iran’s clerical leadership values education, and the overall educational level of the country has been rising precipitously.
“Iran is now globally competitive in space and aviation, chemistry, computer science, biotechnology and medical science, physics, nuclear science as well as nanotechnology."
The analyst also underscored that, despite draconian sanctions imposed on the country, Iran has been rapidly promoted in global ranking of scientific and technological growth in recent years.
'Substantial role in Islamic civilization revival'
Meanwhile, author and journalist Eric Walberg said the Islamic Revolution and ongoing anti-imperialist resistance have landed Iran a towering role in the revival of Islamic civilization.
He pointed to a number of impressive achievements in post-revolutionary Iran, including self-sufficiency in cereal production, high literacy rate, access to modern consumer goods, longer life expectancy and lower infant mortality rate.
“Iran's real strength is its Islamic faith and its Islamic foundations. Iran is now at the forefront of many scientific areas, despite hack attacks and assassinations proudly carried by the US and Israel, in defiance of international law,” Walberg highlighted.