Iran’s Revolutionary Guard stages Broadway-style show

Broadway Bombers: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Launches Theater Production

An Iranian state terrorist group has ventured into the world of show business by funding a theatrical adaptation of a Persian epic poem that recounts a mythical history of Iran.

The Seven Quests of Esfandiyar

The play, titled The Seven Quests of Esfandiyar, is based on Shahnameh, an Iranian epic often compared to Homer’s Odyssey. It follows the journey of a Persian prince who receives a blessing from Zoroaster, a central figure in Iran’s pre-Islamic religion, and embarks on a mission to save his sisters. Notably, the original poem contains verses that have been seen as critical of Islam.

Theatergoers have observed that the play does not heavily focus on Islam, but rather on Iranian nationalism. “There’s no trace of Islamic ideology in this show,” noted one Iranian journalist. “Instead, it is purely nationalistic, which is why it holds great value.”

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, formed in the aftermath of the 1979 Iranian revolution, was established to enforce a strict interpretation of Islamism by suppressing internal dissent and countering perceived foreign efforts to undermine the Iranian government. The Revolutionary Guard denies distancing itself from Islam in producing the play, arguing that they also have a mandate to promote nationalism, which they believe the production accomplishes.

The U.S. State Department designated the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization in September 2019. The group has connections to various other Islamic terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah, to whom they have funneled millions of dollars.

Islamic fundamentalism has recently sparked controversy in Iran. Last year, mass protests erupted after a woman was arrested for violating Iran’s hijab mandate and later died under suspicious circumstances while in police custody. The protests continue, with over 500 protesters killed and nearly 20,000 detained. A 2020 survey also challenged the Iranian government’s claim that the country is overwhelmingly Shia Muslim.