Fadaeeyan-i Islam, a small Islamic militant group, had a decisive impact on Iranian politics during the rise of the nationalist movement of the early 1950s. Because of lack of public support, Fadaeeyan did not enjoy the benefits of their actions. Nevertheless, they provided the next generation of Iranian Muslim devotees with a model, which is now followed by hard-liners in today’s Iran. What made Fadaeeyan different from traditionalist religious circles was that they viewed Islam primarily from a political angle. Their religious and political views can be explained by reference to their religious education and upbringing in lower class families and by their perception of the predicaments of the Islamic world, such as its social and political decline and the threat of Westernized intellectuals.

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