Like Iran today, China once had theocracies governed by divine rule
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.
On the plane, I anxiously followed the flight path displayed on the little screen as we flew over the
Middle East
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'.
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