Cyrus & the Ayatollahs…

Since I recently visited the former home of Ayatollah Khomeini and the tomb of Cyrus the Great in Iran (and I study the intersections of Islamic law and cultural heritage), I read the recent Al-Monitor article on “What Iranian Clerics Really Think of Cyrus the Great with great interest earlier this week. It was pretty coincidental (and amazing) that I had the chance to visit his tomb with members of the Commonwealth Club of California less than 24 hours before protestors gathered there in the largest demonstration in Iran since 2009 — the growing tension was palpable.