 If you know anything about the Islamic Revolution of 1978, then you know that it resulted in a major socio-political coup in the region. What was an autocracy ruling the nation of Iran? Within a few months became a theocratic nation with a powerful agenda to reform itself along religious lines, and with a clear-cut claim that the revolution itself was ordained by God and that the responsible politicized clergy were the chosen people for the shift in Iran's existence and the Islamic world's destiny. And at the head of this clerical force was the Ayatollah Khomeini, and his rhetoric of retribution wasn't aimed only at the Shah, Muhammad Bahlavi, or at his own people. It was heard loud and clear far beyond the borders of the new Islamic Republic of Iran. His sites now were set on all Muslim nations, and his message, unequivocal, was the export of the revolution. Khomeini's message drove fear into the hearts and minds of all regional leaders. Kings, princes, and sultans assimilated the clerics' targeted and promissory words with horror. Was it their turn next? Would their fate be that of the Shah? Secular Arab nations were also targets of Iran's newly revealed intentions, those who Khomeini accused of succumbing to the advances of both the capitalist and communist Satan alike. They were infidels who had abandoned their Islamic values in the name of advancement and prosperity. But what was to be done? What would counter this newly emerged regional power that had just announced its ideological and expansionist intentions? But what were these governments who were mostly sunny to do? It wasn't a fair fight. How could they fight the words of a chosen clergy that utilized religious rhetoric? The default method of following conventional politics and diplomacy was like bringing a knife to a gunfight. There was only a single working alternative, fighting a weaponized faith with another yet-to-be-weaponized faith. Consequently, Sunni theological politicization became rampant in the Middle East to counterbalance the narrative of the new Shiite power. Within months of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, governments began a calculated campaign set on instilling fear into their populations. A society that balanced modernization with adherence of the pillars of Islam was a wonderful thing, but it wouldn't get the job done. No, that wouldn't do. What was needed was a conservatist overhaul that was founded on faith, its powers of beliefs and characterized by relentless and devout passion. Education shifted towards doctrinal reform and curricula. An army of clergy were mobilized to preach the negatives of looking outside of faith as a path towards fulfillment and deliverance. Overnight, men's beards lengthened while their clothing shortened. Women's place in society became veiled in more ways than one. What took nations decades to build and achieve towards their version of modernity receded towards orthodoxy within a single year. While confronting a Shiite regional power, nations in parallel looked within their borders and at their own Shiite populations. Where were their allegiances? Who would they serve? Their nation's interests? Or those of this new sectarian influence? Loyalties were questioned. And even with real proof that these nations could rely on their Shiite populations, a chasm was created that distanced the Muslim sects of a nation away from each other. A large contingent of Sunni society would no longer feel the same way about their Shiite national brethren. At the times, the cold war between the USA and the USSR was still at its heights, but with the Islamic revolution in Iran, a new version of a cold war was about to erupt. Iran was now a country looking towards exporting its version of Islamic dogma and governance, not only in the Middle East, but far beyond. This led the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sunni regional power to jockey with Iran for Islamic sectarian global expansion. A process that would see a geographic game of theological espionage from Southeast Asia to Western Africa. The race was on to promote each regional power's version of Islam. Fundamentalism was no longer a system found only in the heart of the Middle East. No, fundamentalist Islam would become a global reality. We hear the words Islamic revolution and we think of the country in Iran. True, its impact in 1978 on the nation of 38 million people was beyond substantial, but its immediate and tangible impact on the rest of the Middle Eastern population of 1998 million should not go unnoticed. Muslim Arabs' lives changed in an instant. Without any war, changed strictly with the sudden potential invasion of ideas and belief systems. Changed due to the subsequent fearful and reactionary impositions forced upon them by their nations and governments. Was the change for the better or was it for the worst?