Reflections | Like Iran today, China once had theocracies governed by divine rule
While emperors in Imperial China generally kept religion and governance separate, true theocracies could be found among breakaway regimes
The day before I was scheduled to fly back to Singapore from London recently, Israel decided to launch a surprise attack on Iran. Soon, both countries were firing missiles at each other.
Most flights between Europe and Southeast Asia fly over Iran. To be inside a gargantuan Airbus A380 when the sky outside is thick with deadly projectiles and anti-aircraft ordnance was not a comforting thought.
The plane gave a wide berth to most of Iranian airspace, skimming north of the country over the Caspian Sea, but it was only when we saw the back of Iran that I could finally stop worrying.
When Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979, I was still a child and too young to fully understand what was going on, but I still remember very vividly the news blitz surrounding the Iranian Revolution and its immediate aftermath.
I can still see the grim visage of Ayatollah Khomeini glaring balefully from television screens and newspapers. It was also the first time that I came across the word “Shiite”.