If Dave Kirkpatrick would take his own semi-coherent advice and “get out and find out about things you aren’t sure of,” it would do his column wonders. Let me offer a few suggestions:

First, according to the 1989 World Almanac, Shiite Muslims make up 93 percent of Iran’s population. I don’t know if Mr. Kirkpatrick misunderstood Ibrahim Ahmad, or if Mr. Ahmad himself is a little fuzzy on the subject. My guess would be the former.

Second, where does he get off speaking for “we as westerners … ?” Isn’t he engaging in the same sort of stereotyping he seeks to condemn?

Third, on what does he base his belief that “we are getting our daily dose of good news footage?” Khomeini’s rallys in Teheran regularly draw crowds of more than one million. That is not just a fanatic fringe.

Fourth, Khomeini led his country to victory in a bloody eight-year war against a better-armed and better-supported opponent. For whatever reason, be it nationalism, religion or centuries-old Persian-Arabian animosities, the Iranian people were willing to fight and die for the man.

Fifth, before you condemn polygamy again, Mr. Kirkpatrick, you might want to study the history of western religions. Jews practiced polygamy in the Bible. Some obscure Protestant sects practiced polygamy in the 16th century. A few Mormons still do. It has, at times, served its purpose.

Finally, I do not associate Khomeini with all Muslims. I do not associate him with all Shiites (65 percent of Iraqis are Shiite). I do not even associate him with all Iranians. But enough of them like him enough to have kept him in power for more than 10 years.

Dean Kidd

history/classics