While it is true that Islamists led by Khomeini gradually and ruthlessly eliminated their rivals, the notion that the 1979 revolution represented democratic or liberal aspirations is not supported by the evidence. The revolutionary government held a referendum in March 1979, asking the electorate to vote “yes” or “no” on whether they wanted an “Islamic Republic.” The “yes” vote won overwhelmingly. This referendum, however, took place amid an atmosphere of chaos—with former Prime Minister Shapour Bakhtiar in hiding—and repression, which included Baháʼís being targeted and officials of the Pahlavi government being executed after sham trials. Meanwhile, government forces and Kurdish armed groups were fighting in Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan province.
