I trace most of the current Middle East problems to that one seminal event. The Shah was an imperious tyrant, but he was no religious fanatic, imposing strict limits on behavior at the most minute level, and vastly different from the anthill thinking of Saudi Arabia.
Islam is not ready for the benefits of democratic government, and certainly not a representative republic.
Islam may never be ready for any experiment in freedom.
Muslims who worship their Koran are already free.
Muslims are free to kill you if they want to.
Muslims are free to rape your wife and children. If they want to enslave your family, they can. And the Muslims Sharia Law will find them innocent.