The Iranian Mojahedin [Hardcover]

Ervand Abrahamian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1989 | ISBN-10: 0300044232 | ISBN-13: 978-0300044232 | Edition: First Edition

In this book, a leading authority on Iranian political parties offers the first history of the Mojahedin, a little-known radical group that was instrumental in bringing the Ayatollah Khomeini to power but that now constitutes the main opposition to his Islamic Republic. Drawing on all available sources-including interviews with past and present members of the Mojahedin-Ervand Abrahamian traces their organization from the 1960s to the present. "[This] book is important and useful not only because it is the first in English on its subject, but also because . . . it is objective. . . . [I]ts approach is thoughtful, fresh and independent, being to Islam more or less what liberation theology is to Christianity."-Economist "Abrahamian's commentary on Ali Shariati and his relationship to the Mojahedin is a unique and impressive achievement. . . . Radical Islam is a learned, lucid and cogent piece of Iranian history. . . . The book is must reading for all experts and observers interested in the politics of the Islamic Revolution and the role of Iran's political culture."-Mansour Farhang, Middle East Report "The result is one of the best of so many books about Iran today."-A. R. H. Kellas, Asian Affairs "This is the most objective and comprehensive study available of the important Iranian movement."-Anthony Hyman, International Affairs

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Ayatollah Khomeini may have been the focal point of anti-Shah opposition, but the Mojahedin, a radical political group, provided the martyrs, the guns, the huge marches, and much of the written word that fanned the fires of Shiite fervor in the first three years of the Islam Republic of Iran. But the Mojahedin have now gone underground: cult-like, they stand beleaguered, and convinced that Khomeini has gone astray. Abrahamian (history, Baruch Coll.) is an acknowledged expert on Middle Eastern affairs, and this dissection of a crucial element of contemporary Iran is essential to projecting the future of the country and the Islamic Revolution. Scholars will find the first quarter of the book repetitive; however, newcomers to the subject will find the history useful. Highly recommended for major collections and larger libraries.
- David P. Snider, Casa Grande P.L., Ariz .
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 307 pages
• Publisher: Yale Univ Pr; First Edition edition (April 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300044232
• ISBN-13: 978-0300044232
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #335,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant book revealing the true nature of the MKO., May 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Iranian Mojahedin (Paperback)

Professor Abrahamian has through this excellent book given readers of all backgrounds an opportunity to read about the tragic history of the Mujahedin/National Council of Iranian Resistance without any biases. This comprehensive study on the most notorious Iraqi-backed terrorist organization will give the reader an understanding of why the organization was created, why it was popular before it allied itself with Saddam Hussein, why it is despised by Iranians in general today and why it is dying as an organization. The book also explains the Mujahedin's undertaking of terrorist attacks against Americans.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rigorous Introduction to the Sazeman-e Mojahedin-e Khalq, May 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Iranian Mojahedin (Paperback)

Dr. Abrahamian presents the Sazeman-e Mojahedin-e Khalq in a complete and unbiased review of their history. The text is easy reading yet thoroughly documented.

This book is highly recommended for anyone who wishes a solid introduction to a group which has been categorized as a terrorist organization by both the Iranian and U.S. governments. Without the rhetoric so often accompanying the mention of the Mojahedin, the author presents a scholarly analysis of their history. It will become clear to the reader why the Mojahedin and the Rajavis are popular to some but hated and reviled by the majority of Iranians, both in Iran and abroad.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent & Factual, April 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Iranian Mojahedin (Paperback)

This book is an excellent review of the history of this group which, alas, started out as a legitimate political force in Iranian politics but ended up collaborating with Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88, and has degraded into a terroristic cult of personality. The book is an eye-opener for anyone who is lacks familiarity with the aracana of Iranian exile group politics.