From Persia to Iran: Islam, Empire, and the Politics of West Asia

In this episode, Breht interviews Adnan Husain -- Professor of Medieval history and Chair of the Religious Studies department at Queens college -- about the deep historical roots of today's Middle East. The conversation traces the arc from ancient Persia to the Islamic era, explores how Iran became a center of Shi'a Islam, and examines the long rivalry between Persian and Ottoman power. Along the way, they unpack the Sunni-Shia split, the political role of Turkey in the region, the ways Western narratives about Islam were forged through the Crusades and carried forward into the modern world, Zionist Expansionism, and the ongoing illegal war of aggression waged by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, and indeed, the whole region. Check out Adnan's previous appearences on Rev Left HERE

You can listen to From Persia to Iran: Islam, Empire, and the Politics of West Asia online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

From Persia to Iran: Islam, Empire, and the Politics of West Asia is an episode from Revolutionary Left Radio by Breht O'Shea.

This episode is 02:55:51 long.

This episode was published on Mar 17, 2026.

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