Plastic Keys to Paradise
Encyclopedia
Plastic keys refers to plastic ‘Keys to Paradise’ allegedly distributed to young Iranian military volunteers during the Iran-Iraq War
(1980-1988) by the Islamic Republic of Iran leadership. It was reported in the western media that the volunteers were encouraged with the distribution of golden-colored, plastic ‘Paradise Keys’ symbolizing the certain entry into 'paradise' (heaven: al-Janna) awaiting volunteers who were killed. The claim is disputed; soldiers were issued metallic identification tags, and/or plastic identification cards, along with a copy of Shaykh Abbas Qomi (d. 1959) prayer book entitled ‘Mafatih ul-Jenan’ or “Keys to Paradise”. Some contend this commingling of military items enabled opponents of Khomeini to misrepresent that the soldiers had been issued ‘Plastic Keys to Heaven’ – a concept that they hoped would evoke derision in the Western media against Khomeini.While covering the ‘Imposed War’ a New York Times reporter claimed that: “I saw Iranian soldiers ready for battle wearing small gold keys on their uniforms where other soldiers might wear medals. They were the keys that would immediately take their souls to heaven if they should die.” No photographs of the keys have appeared.
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
(1980-1988) by the Islamic Republic of Iran leadership. It was reported in the western media that the volunteers were encouraged with the distribution of golden-colored, plastic ‘Paradise Keys’ symbolizing the certain entry into 'paradise' (heaven: al-Janna) awaiting volunteers who were killed. The claim is disputed; soldiers were issued metallic identification tags, and/or plastic identification cards, along with a copy of Shaykh Abbas Qomi (d. 1959) prayer book entitled ‘Mafatih ul-Jenan’ or “Keys to Paradise”. Some contend this commingling of military items enabled opponents of Khomeini to misrepresent that the soldiers had been issued ‘Plastic Keys to Heaven’ – a concept that they hoped would evoke derision in the Western media against Khomeini.While covering the ‘Imposed War’ a New York Times reporter claimed that: “I saw Iranian soldiers ready for battle wearing small gold keys on their uniforms where other soldiers might wear medals. They were the keys that would immediately take their souls to heaven if they should die.” No photographs of the keys have appeared.