Islamic Revolution sparked Arab revolts

The former Iraqi prime minister says the Islamic Revolution of Iran is the conceptual framework of the popular uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is the flag-bearer of Islamic awakening in the region. The popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya and Bahrain are modeled after it,” Ibrahim al-Jaafari told IRNA in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Tuesday.

Jaafari, who is now the secretary general of Iraq’s National Reform Party, added that the popular uprisings were the outcome of disrespect to popular demands and a lack of democracy.

The Iraqi lawmaker also called on dictatorial and repressive regimes to take lessons from the recent revolutions in the Middle East.

Jaafari pointed out that the regional awakening has been sparked by the historic 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, led by the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, against the monarchic rule in the country and the global arrogance.

In January, Tunisians took to streets in a revolt that finally drove the country’s ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from power.

A popular uprising, which lasted from January 25 till February 11, forced the 82-year-old former Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak to step down.

Libyan anti-government forces, inspired by revolutions that toppled authoritarian rulers in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt, are fighting to topple embattled Muammar Gaddafi, who has ruled the country for over 41 years.

In Yemen, hundreds of thousands of people have also turned out for regular demonstrations in the capital Sana’a and in the cities of Aden, Taizz, calling for corruption and unemployment to be tackled and demanding the ouster of longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Since the beginning of Bahrain’s revolution in mid-February, thousands of anti-government protesters have poured into the streets across the country, calling for an end to the long rule of Al Khalifa dynasty.