Embodiment of Lies “The Man in the Mirror: A True Story of Love, Revolution and Treachery in Iran” by Carole Jerome.
Chapter Two:
The author mentions the Cinema Rex of Abadon incident catching fire on page 18. As per the author, law enforcement agents locked the doors, which resulted in the death of the Cinema’s patrons. However, the author failed to provide information regarding the reasons behind the fire that led to the destruction of Cinema Rex of Abadon.
Fact: The people living in the Province of Khuzestan were leading peaceful lives and were not interested in getting involved in the revolution that was taking place in other parts of Iran. However, as per Roy Mottahedeh, an American historian who wrote The Mantle of the Prophet, when the Iranian government started displaying a willingness to put citizens’ lives on the line to save itself, thousands of people who had remained neutral until then and thought that the conflict was only between the Shah and supporters of religiously conservative mullahs, began to feel that the movement was their own business.
In 1978, four individuals who were motivated by Islamic extremism and identified as militants poured airplane fuel on a building before setting it on fire. This attack contributed to the outbreak of mass violence and was partly responsible for triggering the Iranian Revolution of 1979. The revolution led to the overthrow of the ruling dynasty under the Iranian monarch.
Propaganda started to circulate that the Shah had burnt down the Cinema because the Cinema was screening a movie that went against the establishment. However, the film Gavaznha (“The Deer”) was a 1974 drama directed by Masoud Kimiai. It told the story of a thief on the run from the cops who sought the help of a once-charismatic high school friend, now a sad drug addict.
Fact: The culprit behind Cinema Rex for burning people alive was Ali Khamenei and others who wanted to cause unrest in Iran.
On page 19, the author downplays the CIA and MI6’s role in bringing down the Pahlavi Dynasty. The author suggests that during a conversation between the Shah of Iran and the US Ambassador Sullivan, the Shah revealed that the CIA was aiding instigators. However, Sullivan denied any involvement of the US. The Shah was convinced that the Soviet Union was also involved because it was interested in conquering Iran.
Fact: The Shah of Iran, in his book “Answer to History,” wrote about The Guadeloupe Conference that occurred from January 4th to January 7th, 1979, in Guadeloupe. The meeting involved leaders from four Western powers: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and West Germany. The main agenda of the meeting was to discuss various world issues, including the Middle East and the Iranian political crisis. The conference was held a month before the Iranian Revolution succeeded in overthrowing the monarchy. The President of France, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, hosted the meeting in the French territory of Guadeloupe. US President Jimmy Carter, Chancellor of West Germany Helmut Schmidt, and British Prime Minister James Callaghan were also in attendance.
During the conference, the leaders discussed several issues, such as Iran’s political crisis, the situation in Cambodia, violence in South Africa, the increasing influence of the Soviet Union in the Persian Gulf, the coup in Afghanistan, and the situation in Turkey. One of the major issues discussed was Iran’s political crisis, which led to an uprising against the Pahlavi dynasty. The assembled leaders concluded there was no way to save Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s position as the Shah of Iran. They also discussed that if he remained the leader, this could aggravate the civil war and result in Soviet intervention.
Fact: Dorian McRae, a CIA agent, was the right-hand person of Khomeini at all times. She also threatened Iran that if the King remained in Iran, the revolutionary people would poison water. Last, McRae was an agent who boarded Air France and came to Iran secretly to continue advising Khomeini on exercising power in Iran.
On September 7th, people peacefully came out of their homes carrying pictures of Khomeini. On Friday, a clash occurred between security forces at Zhaleh Square. The incident killed 500 people, as per the author’s claim on page 20.
Fact: People never came out of their homes in peace. They attacked police officers in the streets, performed street justice, and killed them. They also assaulted the homes of military officers, kidnapped military officers, and killed their wives in front of the officers.
Fact: The Zhaleh incident caused death because Yaser Araft sent its mercenaries to Iran to attack the Imperial Iranian Police Force and Imperial Iranian Armed Forces. Yarafat’s mercenaries were walking among people and opened fire at people, and soldiers were controlling the riot.
The author intentionally omits facts and presents selective ideas to readers to pursue them in her version of the event, not what happened in Iran.
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