Khomeini's Ghost

by Con Coughlin. Macmillan Publishers, 354 pages, $39.95.

Readers wishing to find explanations for actions that are taking place in Iran now and in the recent past might do well to start with this book.

Khomeini's Ghost tells the story behind the rise of a devoted student of Islam from a remote area of Iran to spiritual and political leader of his country and the architect of the Islamic Revolution that stirs headlines globally to this day.

In the process of telling that story Con Coughlin provides a glimpse into the complex roots of the wider struggle between the Shia and Sunni sects of Islam in general but particularly in Iran.

Following a thorough examination of the competition between Britain and Russia for influence in the region at the turn of the 20th century, Coughlin brings the reader through the tumultuous changes that later took place. The rise of the hated and feared Shah of Iran after World War II is chronicled. His American support and the ensuing scramble for oil and other resources, fomenting corruption and harsh rule, became the new targets for change, and Khomeini's Islamic Revolution became the method to return Iran to her people under a particular brand of Islam.

Coughlin gives the reader detailed accounts of the rise to power, a look into the structure of Iran's governing bodies and the competition among the spiritual leaders, the seizure of the American Embassy and the game of hostage power that gave Khomeini his political credentials.

The story of Iran's secret quest for nuclear power as a holy, Allah-given right, is another fascinating look into the issues behind today's headlines.

Coughlin is the executive foreign editor for The Daily Telegraph who experienced the 1984 Lebanese civil war while in Beirut. While there he witnessed a new arrival on the already confusing scene in the form of heavily armed Muslim militiamen bearing the Iranian flag and portraits of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Enter Hizbollah, the newly created Shia Muslim militia set up by Iran to defend the interests of Lebanon's 1.5 million Shia and one of the first indications that Iran was beginning to export the Islamic Revolution.

Iran's stance on the state of Israel and support for any faction opposed to Israel's existence became the doctrine that the exported factions adopted.

Khomeini's Ghost also looks at the modern opposition in Iran and the danger they face fostering change from the revolutionary dogma to a more democratic society with roles for the many communities.

This book unlocked answers for me and gave me a better view of the Iran picture. I will read it again as I watch today's news unfold from a more informed position. Highly recommended.

• Patrick Hamilton is a Nelson photographer.

- © Fairfax NZ News