INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Many historians and analysts believe that the Islamic Revolution happened due to what occurred on this specific day.Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, began his political endeavor and fight
against the monarchy in 1962
Large demonstrations took place in the shrine city of Qom, after an Iranian newspaper, Ettelaat, published a front-page editorial insulting
the highly respected cleric
protests started to become more often and also more widespread
But the most significant of them all perhaps happened on the day known in the modern Iranian calendar as Black Friday, which saw thousands
clerics, about two million people in Tehran gathered in Azadi Square (formerly Shahyad) to hold a massive rally against the monarch
Before September 7th, citizens could not muster up the courage to shout their sheer opposition
But due to the large number of protesters present, people seemed to have gained the confidence that they would be able to move past the Shah
They urged the king to impose martial law in a bid to control the protesting crowd
They were also aware that people were planning to march the streets the next day and were trying to prevent any raid on government
major cities, including Tehran.A few hours after the order thousands of people who were unaware of the military decision gathered in Shohada
square (formerly Zhaleh) to renew their opposition towards the Shah
In a matter of a few seconds, dead bodies started piling up while civilians tried to save their lives in a dreadful frenzy
slaughtered on that day, after forces of the Pahlavi regime were instructed to open fire on peaceful demonstrators
Tanks and military helicopters reportedly also took part in killing people.As mentioned before, for many historians and analysts it is safe
The tragedy bolstered Iranians in their struggle and the Shah, realizing the strong-willed determination of the Iranian people, was
