‘The History of Ismail Safavi – The Bringers of Shiism’ (Persian: تاریخ شاه اسماعیل صفوی – ارمغان آوران تشیع) is a scholarly work authored by historian Dr. Hussein Khonji, hailing from Hormozgan, Iran, from the town on Khonj. This comprehensive piece delves into the history of the anti-Sunni Iranian Safavid dynasty (16th – 18th CE), shedding light on their nefarious deeds and numerous atrocities perpetrated against Iranians, particularly Persian Sunnis who bore the brunt of the Safavid regime’s oppression.
This is an in-depth historical study of the life and actions of the first Safavid king, Ismail I, as well as the consequences of Safavid rule in Iran. The author’s aim is to thoroughly examine the impact of Ismail’s ideas and actions, as well as those of his associates, on Iran’s historical path and to analyse their outcomes. To achieve this objective, the author places particular emphasis on the psychological aspects of the individuals involved.
Dr. Khonji’s book on the Safavids should be made primary literature in every advanced Islamic course and university in the Muslim world since the crimes of Shiism against Sunnis in Iran are too often brushed under the carpet by Shia clerics and Iranian nationalists (who interestingly are both united in their veneration of Ismail I) alike.
This is why most Iranians are not even aware of the crimes of the Safavids, as they are exposed to whitewashed and glorified narratives about the Safavids. While Shia clerics in Iran venerate Ismail I for his championing of Shiism (ruthless suppression of Sunnism), and Iranian nationalists applaud him for his perceived ‘unification’ of Iran, Dr. Khonji offers a more nuanced and critical perspective on this tumultuous period in Iranian history and leaves no room for doubt about the heretical and criminal nature of the Safavid dynasty, primarily Ismail I.
Khonji’s book stands as a pinnacle in unveiling the gruesome saga of the Safavid state’s rise to power, illustrating its ruthless tactics in converting Sunni Iran into a blood-soaked Safavid domain, where the massacre and annihilation of (one million innocent Sunnis) stain its history! Within its pages lie irrefutable evidence and meticulously verified historical accounts!
It is for that reason why it is easier to get hold of Reza Khan or his sons’ biography in Iran, where they are portrayed favorably, than the book by Dr. Khonji. Dr. Khonji’s work simply exposes the truth, unveiling those who forcibly converted much of Iran to Shiism and their ideological heirs, the Shia clergy who have been ruining Iran since the dawn of the Safavids.
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