Key People
Usama ibn Munqidh
Usama ibn Munqidh, a Muslim warrior during the early crusader era, was also a poet and a writer. At age ninety he dictated his memoirs in an entertaining and informative narrative called Kitab al-itibar, or The Book of Contemplation. Because his life spanned much of the early Crusades, Usama was an eyewitness to many of the events. Sections of the memoir include his observations of the European crusaders.
Ayatollah Khomeini
The Ayatollah Khomeini rose to political power in 1963, when he gained the title ayatollah and led Muslim clerics in their opposition to Shah Pahlavi. Forced into exile in 1964, he eventually returned as head of the newly formed Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979. Throughout the 1980s Khomeini was the face of Islam, particularly radical Islam, to the West.
Spotlight
Palestinian National Charter
This charter states the aims of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The PLO claims to represent the interests of the Palestinian people in and around Israel, a claim that the United Nations recognizes. The charter is part constitution, part “declaration of independence,” and part political manifesto.
