The speaker, Abdullah El-Sharif, a former Muslim Brotherhood member known as "Shab Ashraf," discusses his condensed coverage of Iran's political and religious history. He explains the concept of "Wilayat al faqih" (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist) and its implications after the 1979 revolution, leading to a regime more oppressive than the Shah's. He criticizes Iran's foreign policy, including its involvement in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, and its complex relationship with the US, highlighted by the Iran-Contra affair. El-Sharif acknowledges his potential biases and mistakes, invites criticism, and emphasizes focusing on the real enemy rather than internal disputes. He concludes by thanking his audience for their patience with the heavy content he presents.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Abdullah El-Sharif, also known as "Shab Ashraf", is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
2. El-Sharif started his life as a taxi driver before becoming a YouTube personality.
3. He is now based in London.
4. The Muslim Brotherhood has a "Brotherization" test that members must pass after their first year.
5. El-Sharif claims to have been given the nickname "Brother Formidable" within the Muslim Brotherhood.
6. Iran has a system of government known as the "Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist" or "Wilayat al faqih".
7. This system is based on the idea of a single person leading the country until the return of the Mahdi.
8. The Mahdi is a figure in Shia Islam who is believed to be the savior of the Muslim world.
9. In the 1980s, Iran allowed the Sunni group Al Qaeda to have military training camps on its soil.
10. Iran has publicly supported the Sunni movement Hamas with money and weapons in the Gaza Strip.
11. The US and Iran have a complex relationship, with the US having sold weapons to Iran in the 1980s despite being enemies.
12. The US supported a rebel group called the Contras in Nicaragua, which was against the Soviet-backed regime.
13. The Iran-Contra affair was a scandal in which the US secretly sold arms to Iran and used the funds to support the Contras.
14. The Iranian regime has been accused of human rights abuses, including executing over 55,000 people since 1979.
15. The US and Iran have had conflicts, including a war between Iran and Iraq in the 1980s, which lasted for 8 years and resulted in over 160,000 Iranian deaths.
16. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have been involved in suppressing protests in Syria, despite Iran's own history of fighting for freedom and justice.
17. The Iranian regime has been accused of repression and injustice, with an army ruling by "iron and fire".