Kathmandu, Feb. 9 -- Ali Shariati Mazinani, a prominent sociologist and Iranian revolutionary who specialised in the sociology of religion, once said, "Religion should wake people up, not put them to sleep." The revolution culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty on February 11, 1979.

Although students, workers, leftists, businesspeople and women all took part in the movement, owing to the narrow leadership of religious groups, the revolution failed to bring about the broad social transformation many had hoped for.

Religious factions led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini sought to establish a state based on Islamic principles. They paid little attention to economic justice demanded by workers and small traders, the freedoms sough...