MACMILLAN The Last Mufti of Iranian Kurdistan: Ethnic and Religious Implications in the Greater Middle East

Amidst changing notions of religion and identity in the modern Middle East, this book uncovers the hidden story of Ahmad Moftizadeh, the nonviolent religious leader of Iran’s Kurds during the Iranian Revolution. The characters of Ayatollah Khomeini and a number of other prominent revolutionaries surface through never before heard first-hand accounts of that era’s events. The author further surveys the underlying causes of conflict and extremism today by placing this dramatic biography in the context of a rapidly-evolving region after the First World War. The author’s coverage of some of the twentieth century Middle East’s most defining events leads him to powerful policy arguments for a region in turmoil. Review “American scholar-diplomat Ali Ezzatyar has given Western readers a fascinating study of the fierce complexities of the Greater Middle East since World War II.  It is built around a scrupulous reconstruction of the life and work of Iranian Kurdish Sunni leader Ahmad Moftizadeh (1933-1993). Using personal interviews and rare documentation in Kurdish and Farsi, Ezzatyar shows us the intricate spiritual and political life of Iranian Kurds under the Shahs and the Islamic Republic from the inside and from the ground up, and he argues that their secular nationalism has securely immunized them from political Islamism (even in Moftizadeh’s democratic version). He then widens the lens to the region as a whole, arguing passionately for recognition that Kurds have a unique constructive role to play as allies of the West and potential anchors of modern values. A scholarly treat, and food for political thought as well.” (Thomas W. Simons, Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan; author of Islam in a Globalizing World; and Visiting Scholar, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University, USA) “In profiling a single individual in the least known region of Kurdish settlement, Ali Ezzatyar manages to illuminate the situation of Kurds not just in Iran, but also in Turkey, Iraq and Syria. In prodigiously researching the life of Iranian Sunni Kurdish religious and political leader Ahmad Moftizadeh, he traces the rise and fall of one attempt at Kurdish autonomy, prefigures others, and underscores the persistence and importance of these movements. Ezzatyar concludes with some provocative but well-argued implications for American policy in this complex and highly conflicted region.” (James Dobbins, Former Assistant Secretary of State and Senior Fellow and Distinguished Chair in Diplomacy and Security at the RAND Corporation) “In this historically rich yet ever topical and lively read, Ali Ezzatyar reaches back a couple centuries to explain the relative significance of Islam and nationalism in forging today's Kurdish identity. Appealing to the self interest of regional governments, he makes a pitch for greater respect for Kurdish nationalism as a potentially moderate and constructive political force in the region.” (Michael O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow and Director of Research on Foreign Policy, The Brookings Institution and author of The Future of Land Warfare) “This intriguing work illuminates a largely overlooked aspect of two great struggles that have shaken the Middle East: one for Kurdish rights, the other for freedom in Iran.  Through the lens of history and biography, it tells an untold story that is as fascinating as it is important.” (Stephen Kinzer, Senior Fellow at the Watson Institute of International Affairs and author of Reset: Iran, Turkey, and America’s Future) “In this masterful study, Ali Ezzatyar brings to life key events and a key personality of Iranian Kurdistan in the earliest months following the victory of the Islamic Revolution. Those events involved key figures of the new system, including Ayatollahs Khomeini, Taleghani, and Beheshti, and shaped the direction of the nascent Islamic Republic, particularly its attitude toward its important Kurdish minority.  Deci