INTRODUCTION TO MY SITE

I dedicate this site to the memory of my late husband, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, and to all those Iranians who continue to share his vision for a progressive, powerful and independent Iran; an Iran free from the scourgeof poverty and disease and set on the path of economic progress, social justice and a democratic system of government.

I pay tribute to all those men and women who dedicated their lives to help realize my late husband's historic dreams, and stood by him in his passionate struggle to make Iran one of the vanguards of peace and progress in the world.

I honor all the freedom loving Iranians who remained faithful to their ideals and faced their executioners with their courage intact and their heads unbowed.

I salute all Iranian women who have been in the forefront of the struggle against tyranny, intolerance, and inequality. I salute the Iranian youth who have now fully recognized the Islamic regime as the implacable enemy of Iran's national interests, and have, at great risks to their lives and liberties, become the spearhead of freedom and democracy in their beloved homeland.The great heritage of Iranian culture and civilization that for millennia has bedazzled the world now belongs to them.On their strong shoulders has fallen the responsibility to wrest this heritage from those who for nearly a quarter century have, in vain, tried to deny, belittle, and destroy it.

We are now at another momentous crossroad in our long and glorious history. Once again, another dark storm that engulfed our beautiful land and uprooted our dreams is about to perish.The modern-day invaders who desecrated our homes, denigrated our culture, and trampled upon our freedoms have failed.Their vicious attempts to deceive and divide the nation have made us more conscious than ever of our shared values and common destiny.Today, our identity is unscathed, our hope for a bright future rekindled.

I feel privileged to have lived during the reign of a man who was an enlightened king as well as a caring husband and father. His fondest aspiration was to see Iran develop as a society of free men and women, all equal under the law, regardless of religion, language, or ethnicity. My husband was consumed by an unbounded love for this ancient land, and reveled in the tremendous economic and social achievements that had made Iran the envy of much of the world.Throughout those constructive years, I tried hard to follow his lead.I traveled much, read a great deal, listened to, and met many people.   The Shah was my mentor, my guide, and my anchor.

Once he was gone, the Islamic regime succeeded in changing a prosperous and peaceful country into a war-ravaged, economically debilitated, and politically isolated member of the international community.Religious tolerance gave way to religious persecution.The civil and cultural freedoms of Iranians fell victim to a regime bent on ruthless imposition of its arbitrary edicts and determined to erase the national's memory of its memorable past. Yet no amount of vilification and distortion has succeeded in erasing the record of the seminal achievements of the Iranian people in the Pahlavi era.   I am certain that the Iranians will soon claim their rightful place in the world and build themselves a worthy future based on the solid foundations of their progressive past.In the words of my late husband:

"Today, our great civilization may appear to have died for all time. I believe, however, that our culture is akin to those powerful rivers that disappear underneath the mountains, lost to view, only to emerge later in full force.It will also rise to the surface again, reinvigorated by the values and ideals inherent in our national ethos and buttressed by the historic achievements of our people. From our trials will be reborn spiritual and material triumphs."

Farah Pahlavi

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