Radical Islam (often called Islamist extremism or militant Islamism) is a political ideology that interprets Islamic teachings to justify seizing state power, enforcing strict religious laws, and often using violence to oppose Western influence, secular governments, and rival beliefs.
Iran is a Shiite Muslim clerical establishment since the 1979 revolution, serving as the largest state sponsor of political Islam and regional militant groups in the world.
The modern concept of the “Red-Green Alliance”—the political coalition between Western leftist/Marxist movements (”Red”) and Islamist or pro-Palestinian groups (”Green”)—shares striking structural similarities to the coalition that reshaped the Middle East in 1979.
Jesus said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand." So it is when a political relationship is built solely on shared hatred rather than shared values, it inevitably dissolves into bloodshed.
The 1979 overthrow of Iran’s Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was achieved by an unlikely pairing: religious fundamentalists and Marxist/leftist factions.
They joined forces against a single Common Enemy. Both Islamists and Marxists despised the Shah’s autocratic rule, his rapid Westernization policies, and his tight alliance with the United States.
While in exile in France, Ayatollah Khomeini intentionally veiled his ultimate intention of building an absolute Shia clerical theocracy. Instead, he spoke in broad strokes about “freedom,” “social justice,” and “anti-imperialism”—themes that resonated deeply with the Iranian left.
The Marxist leadership assumed they could ride Khomeini’s populist wave to depose the monarchy and then easily sideline the clerics to establish a secular socialist republic. It was a fatal miscalculation.
After the Shah fled and Khomeini returned in February 1979, the alliance fractured almost immediately. Khomeini and his inner circle monopolized power. Viewing atheist and secular Marxists as ideological parasites, the new regime systematically dismantled the Iranian left in three phases:
Phase 1: Disarmament (1981)
Khomeini demanded that all guerrilla factions lay down their arms. When they refused, the regime unleashed the newly formed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Revolutionary Courts. Thousands of leftists were executed in summary, extrajudicial trials.
Phase 2: Eliminating Loyalists (1983)
The pro-Soviet Tudeh Party remained loyal to Khomeini during the initial purges, foolishly believing that an Islamic state was just a temporary phase preceding a true socialist revolution. In 1983, the regime banned the party anyway. Its leadership and thousands of members were arrested, tortured on state television into making false confessions, and imprisoned or executed.
Phase 3: The Mass Executions (1988)
Khomeini issued a secret fatwa ordering the systematic execution of political prisoners. Incarcerated leftists were brought before “Death Committees” and asked brief questions to test their theological beliefs, such as “Do you believe in God?” Those who maintained their Marxist convictions were lined up and hanged.
Human rights organizations estimate that between 2,800 and 5,000 political prisoners were systematically murdered in a matter of weeks and buried in unmarked mass graves.
The ideological glue holding both the 1979 Iranian coalition and today’s Red-Green alliance together is a shared enemy: Western civilization and power.
Both far-left and Islamist movements view global politics through a strict binary lens: the "oppressor" (primarily the U.S., Israel, and Western democratic powers) versus the "oppressed." Because both factions view the West as their primary adversary, they willingly overlook their profound moral and cultural contradictions—an uneasy alliance that now comfortably resides within the modern Democratic Party's "big tent."
Just like in 1979, the modern progressive agenda is fundamentally incompatible with Islamic fundamentalism:
Religion: Marxism is explicitly secular/atheistic, viewing religion as “the opiate of the masses,” whereas fundamentalist Islam commands submission to divine law.
Social Norms: Progressive activists champion LGBTQ+ rights and same-sex marriage, while fundamentalist Islamic doctrine strictly forbids them—making groups like “Queers for Palestine” an ideological paradox that critics famously compare to “Chickens for Chick-fil-A.”
The Red-Green alliance in the West is a coalition defined entirely by what it wants to tear down rather than what it wants to build.
Together, they oppose capitalism, Israel, Western tradition, and the U.S. Constitution. While Democratic Socialists advocate for dismantling constitutional structures like the Senate and the presidency, Islamist factions seek the implementation of Sharia law. These goals cannot peacefully coexist.
If a coalition built on mutual opposition ever succeeds in neutralizing its shared adversary, the faction with the most absolute power will invariably turn on its partner.
We would do well to remember the words of Benjamin Franklin at the Constitutional Convention on June 28, 1787:
“I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”
Franklin proposed daily prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven before proceeding with the monumental task of building a nation. When asked what kind of government the delegates had created, Franklin famously answered: “A Republic, if you can keep it.”
Two and a half centuries later, keeping that Republic requires recognizing the historical patterns of destructive alliances—and imploring Divine assistance from Heaven.
When asked about biological men competing in women’s sports, Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White immediately punted. Claiming she wasn’t "educated enough" scientifically, she nonetheless declared that "exclusion is not the answer".But logic dictates that if you oppose excluding biological males, you are inherently advocating for including them in female sports. Where is the mainstream feminist movement in all this? They’ve been silent on defending women's spaces since the debate reached ladies' restrooms. Among her peers, Fever player Sophie Cunningham seems to be the only one with the courage and common sense to speak up for biological reality.
LIKE AND SHARE
EVENT DETAILS Topic: The Faith of the Founding Fathers
Date: Sunday, August 16
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Location: Chesterfield Community Church of God
Address: 123 Linden Ln., Anderson, IN 46017
If you’re in the area, I’d love to see you there!
NEED A SPEAKER?
• Contact gary@garyvarvel.com to inquire about speaking rates and availability.
HUMOR ME: Fix my cartoon with a snarky remark. Email your entries to gary@garyvarvel.com. Winners announced in Friday’s newsletter for paid subscribers.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.