Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line
The Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line (
History
The organization was a group comprising students from several major science and technology universities of Tehran, including the University of Tehran, Sharif University of Technology, and Tehran Polytechnic.
Time reported in December 1979 that there was "general agreement among Iranians and Western diplomatic sources that the 200 or so young men and women who are always inside the embassy compound are indeed legitimate students", although many Americans suspected otherwise. Time explained that television images taken outside the embassy show "armed men ... in dark green fatigues" who "look more like combat soldiers", but identified these men as members of the Pasdaran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.[2]
Amongst the students were
Their name refers to the Imam, that is, the leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who was not informed of the occupation of the embassy in advance, but later supported and confirmed the action.[3] Information from other sources suggests Ayatollah Khomeini not only knew of the plans ahead of time, but approved them as well.[4]
The group found political identity and social reinforcement in the revolutionary atmosphere, and because of the embassy action, the overall position of the supporters of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was strengthened in comparison with leftist groups.[citation needed]
References
- ^ "Blackmailing the U.S." Time. November 19, 1979. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
- ^ "From the Campus to the Street". Time. December 17, 1979. Archived from the original on June 4, 2008. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
- ^ Ebtekar, Massoumeh, Takeover in Tehran, Talon Books, 2001, pp. 32–40
- ^ (Kahlili 2010)
- Review of two 2004 books on the hostage crisis, The Crisis and Taken Hostage, from The Nation
- Kahlili, Reza. A Time to Betray: The Astonishing Double life of a CIA Agent Inside the Revolutionary Guards of Iran (New York: Threshold Editions, 2010).