The Turning Point

Its ironic that the same year, 1977, that Jimmy Carter gave a toast to the Shah commending him for his achievement in stabilizing Iran that the critical turning point in the revolution would occur and Iran would be plunged into chaos. Im speaking of course about the newspaper article declaring Ayatollah Khomeini to be a homosexual and an agent of the British. The Shah at the time controlled all the newspapers so he must have been aware that this article was going to be published. Allowing that article to be published was the tipping point in the revolution. After that there was no turning back. The people of Iran were outraged by this wild accusation. The cycles of protests and riots that followed were in direct response to the article. People would then return 40 days after the protests to morn the dead that were killed in the last protest. These protests severely undermined the Shah's power and damaged his public image. No longer was Iran seen as this pillar of stability but now cracks were starting to show. The curtain was being pulled back. Khomeini was able to influence the people more as a result of the protests. With more influence Khomeini was easily able to force the Shah out of power. The Shah signed his own death warrant by allowing the article to be published.