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107-452: In 2008 Iranian legislative election , they formed "Popular Coalition of Reforms", consisting of 14 groups. Mostafa Kavakebian and Fatemeh Karroubi were key figures of the alliance. Other than Democracy Party , Islamic Assembly of Women and some Islamic Iran Solidarity Party politicians—not the party itself—were notable members of the coalition. The coalition was allied with National Trust Party and Moderation and Development Party in

214-512: A "heroic figure", and his own objections to constitutionalism and a secular government derived from Nuri's objections to the 1907 constitution. In the late 19th century, the clergy had shown themselves to be a powerful political force in Iran initiating the Tobacco Protest against a concession to a foreign (British) interest. At the age of 61, Khomeini found the arena of leadership open following

321-506: A "mainstream nationalist leader" that they were in for disappointment. To others, it was a reflection of Khomeini's disinterest in the desires, beliefs, or the needs of the Iranian populace. He was Time magazine's Man of the Year in 1979 for his international influence. Khomeini adamantly opposed the provisional government of Shapour Bakhtiar , promising "I shall kick their teeth in. I appoint

428-504: A book titled variously Islamic Government or Islamic Government: Governance of the Jurist ( Hokumat-e Islami: Velayat-e faqih ). This principle, though not known to the wider public before the revolution, was appended to the new Iranian constitution after the revolution. Velâyat-e Faqih was his best known and most influential work, and laid out his ideas on governance (at that time): A modified form of this wilayat al-faqih system

535-534: A broad political movement to strict clerical ruler, Khomeini's first expressed approval of the provisional constitution for the Islamic Republic that had no post of supreme Islamic clerical ruler. After his supporters gained an overwhelming majority of the seats in the body making final changes in the draft (the Assembly of Experts), they rewrote the proposed constitution to include an Islamic jurist Supreme Leader of

642-665: A fatwa which had never been made public in details of when and how it was issued. I would like to inform all the intrepid Muslims in the world that the author of the book entitled The Satanic Verses , which has been compiled, printed and published in opposition to Islam, the Prophet and the Qur'an, as well as those publishers who were aware of its contents, have been declared madhur el dam [those whose blood must be shed]. I call on all zealous Muslims to execute them quickly, wherever they find them, so that no-one will dare to insult Islam again. Whoever

749-626: A further challenge to the Ulama. In January 1963, the Shah announced the White Revolution , a six-point programme of reform calling for land reform , nationalization of the forests, the sale of state-owned enterprises to private interests, electoral changes to enfranchise women and allow non-Muslims to hold office, profit-sharing in industry, and a literacy campaign in the nation's schools. Some of these initiatives were regarded as dangerous, especially by

856-435: A leading scholar of Shia Islam. He taught political philosophy, Islamic history and ethics. Several of his students, for example Morteza Motahhari , later became leading Islamic philosophers and also marja' . As a scholar and teacher, Khomeini produced numerous writings on Islamic philosophy, law, and ethics. He showed an exceptional interest in subjects like philosophy and mysticism that not only were usually absent from

963-574: A message to the United States Government through [Tehran University professor] Haj Mirza Khalil Kamarei", where he expressed that "he was not opposed to American interests in Iran", and that "on the contrary, he thought the American presence was necessary as a counterbalance to Soviet and possibly British influence". According to the BBC, "these document show that in his long quest for power, he [Khomeini]

1070-506: A pen name in some of his ghazals . Khomeini's grandfather, Mirza Ahmad Mojtahed-e Khonsari was the cleric issuing a fatwa to forbid usage of tobacco during the Tobacco Protest . According to his birth certificate, Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, whose first name means "spirit of Allah", was born on 17 May 1900 in Khomeyn , Markazi Province , although his brother Mortaza (later known as Ayatollah Pasandideh) gives his birth date of 24 September 1902,

1177-530: A short stay to the Kingdom of Awadh , a region in the modern state of Uttar Pradesh , India , whose rulers were Twelver Shia Muslims of Persian origin. During their rule, they extensively invited and received a steady stream of Persian scholars, poets, jurists, architects, and painters. The family eventually settled in the small town of Kintoor , near Lucknow , the capital of Awadh. Ayatollah Khomeini's paternal grandfather, Seyyed Ahmad Musavi Hindi ,

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1284-480: A single moment for our performance during the war. Have we forgotten that we fought to fulfill our religious duty and that the result is a marginal issue?" In an interview with Gareth Porter , Mohsen Rafighdoost , the eight-year war time minister of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps , disclosed how Khomeini had opposed his proposal for beginning work on both nuclear and chemical weapons by

1391-444: A sweep by hard-liners allied with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Allies of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seized the largest share of parliament seats, vote counting nearly completed everywhere in the country except for the capital, Tehran , on March 16, 2008. Conservative critics of Ahmadinejad won a substantial bloc in the legislature, highlighting the growing discontent with the president's fiery style and failure to repair

1498-448: A woman head of state; however, once he returned, his stances on women's rights exhibited drastic changes. Khomeini revoked Iran's 1967 divorce law , considering any divorce granted under this law to be invalid. Nevertheless, Khomeini supported women's right to divorce as allowed by Islamic law. Khomeini reaffirmed the traditional position of rape in Islamic law in which rape by a spouse

1605-406: Is further attested by the modern poet Nader Naderpour (1929–2000), who "had spent many hours exchanging poems with Khomeini in the early 1960s". Naderpour remembered: "For four hours we recited poetry. Every single line I recited from any poet, he recited the next." Ruhollah Khomeini was a lecturer at Najaf and Qom seminaries for decades before he was known on the political scene. He soon became

1712-433: Is killed in this path will be regarded as a martyr. In early 1989, Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the assassination of Salman Rushdie , an India-born British author. Rushdie's book, The Satanic Verses , published in 1988, was alleged to commit blasphemy against Islam and Khomeini's juristic ruling (fatwā) prescribed Rushdie's assassination by any Muslim. The fatwā required not only Rushdie's execution, but also

1819-435: Is not a single reference to velayat-e faqih." Khomenei was careful not to publicize his ideas for clerical rule outside of his Islamic network of opposition to the Shah and so not frighten away the secular middle class from his movement. His movement emphasized populism, talking about fighting for the mustazafin , a Quranic term for the oppressed or deprived, that in this context came to mean "just about everyone in Iran except

1926-592: Is now Iran's Markazi province , his father was murdered in 1903 when Khomeini was just two years old. He began studying the Quran and Arabic from a young age and was assisted in his religious studies by his relatives, including his mother's cousin and older brother. Khomeini was a high ranking cleric in Twelver Shi'ism , an ayatollah , a marja' ("source of emulation"), a mujtahid or faqīh (an expert in sharia ), and author of more than 40 books. His opposition to

2033-469: Is the lowest level when compared with the eight previous parliamentary elections. Of this amount, 30 percent of the voters came from large cities and provincial capitals while in Tehran which is the political nerve center of the country whose residents demonstrate the most political behavior, the number stood at 27 percent. According to the government’s final figures, 650,000 citizens of Tehran have taken part in

2140-515: The Hijab ? Do I shave? Or smoke cigarettes? What kind of car do I drive, and do I dress in a suit!" Another candidate, Ayatollah Mousavi Tabrizi , protested his disqualification on the grounds of "lack of belief in law and in Islam," noting that he was not only an ayatollah and a member of the scientific board of the theological seminaries of Qom, but he had earlier qualified to run for the Assembly of Experts,

2247-506: The White Revolution resulted in his state-sponsored expulsion to Bursa in 1964. Nearly a year later, he moved to Najaf , where speeches he gave outlining his religiopolitical theory of Guardianship of the Jurist were compiled into Islamic Government . Khomeini was Time magazine's Man of the Year in 1979 for his international influence and has been described as the "virtual face of Shia Islam in Western popular culture", where he

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2354-412: The 287 seats, approximately 170 can be identified as won by conservatives whose candidacy was supported by the two major conservative lists. United Front of Principlists won 117 seats and Principlists Pervasive Coalition won 96, while 50 were endorsed by both. A portion of conservatives, "die-hard" Mahmoud Ahmadinejad supporters secured about 40% of the seats. According to Democracy Party 's organ,

2461-550: The American Embassy in Tehran, holding 52 embassy staff hostage for 444 days, an event known as the Iran hostage crisis. In the United States, the hostage-taking was seen as a flagrant violation of international law and aroused intense anger and anti-Iranian sentiment . In Iran, the takeover was immensely popular and earned the support of Khomeini under the slogan " America can't do a damn thing against us ". The seizure of

2568-576: The Iran–Iraq War), as well as for using child soldiers extensively during the Iran–Iraq War for human wave attacks—estimates are as high as 100,000 for the number of children killed. Ruhollah Khomeini came from a lineage of small land owners, clerics, and merchants. His ancestors migrated towards the end of the 18th century from their original home in Nishapur , Khorasan province in northeastern Iran for

2675-519: The Islamic seminary in the holy city of Qom , southwest of Tehran , and invited his students to follow. Khomeini accepted the invitation, moved, and took up residence at the Dar al-Shafa school in Qom. Khomeini's studies included Islamic law ( sharia ) and jurisprudence ( fiqh ), but by that time, Khomeini had also acquired an interest in poetry and philosophy ( irfan ). So, upon arriving in Qom, Khomeini sought

2782-452: The Prayer), where "the symbolic dimensions and inner meaning of every part of the prayer, from the ablution that precedes it to the salam that concludes it, are expounded in a rich, complex, and eloquent language that owes much to the concepts and terminology of Ibn 'Arabi . As Sayyid Fihri, the editor and translator of Sirr al-Salat , has remarked, the work is addressed only to the foremost among

2889-616: The Revolutionary Tribunals. According to historian Ervand Abrahamian , Khomeini encouraged the clerical courts to continue implementing their version of the Shari'a. As part of the campaign to "cleanse" the society, these courts executed over 100 drug addicts, prostitutes, homosexuals, rapists, and adulterers on the charge of "sowing corruption on earth". According to author Arno Schmitt, "Khomeini asserted that 'homosexuals' had to be exterminated because they were parasites and corruptors of

2996-560: The Shah and his government. When Khomeini refused, Mansur slapped him in the face in a fit of rage. Two months later, Mansur was assassinated on his way to parliament. Four members of the Fadayan-e Islam , a Shia militia sympathetic to Khomeini, were later executed for the murder. Khomeini spent more than 14 years in exile, mostly in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf . Initially, he was sent to Turkey on 4 November 1964 where he stayed in Bursa in

3103-425: The Shah and his reign. As Iran became more polarized and opposition more radical, Khomeini "was able to mobilize the entire network of mosques in Iran", along with their pious faithful, regular gatherings, hitherto skeptical Mullah leaders, and supported by "over 20,000 properties and buildings throughout Iran"—a political resource the secular middle class and Shiite socialists could not hope to compete with. Aware of

3210-565: The Shah of submission to the United States and Israel. He also decreed that the Nowruz celebrations for the Iranian year 1342 (which fell on 21 March 1963) be canceled as a sign of protest against government policies. On the afternoon of 'Ashura (3 June 1963), Khomeini delivered a speech at the Feyziyeh madrasah drawing parallels between the Caliph Yazid , who is perceived as a 'tyrant' by Shias, and

3317-423: The Shah took an armored column to Qom, and delivered a speech harshly attacking the ulama as a class. Khomeini continued his denunciation of the Shah's programmes, issuing a manifesto that bore the signatures of eight other senior Shia religious scholars. Khomeini's manifesto argued that the Shah had violated the constitution in various ways, he condemned the spread of moral corruption in the country, and accused

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3424-445: The Shah, denouncing the Shah as a "wretched, miserable man", and warning him that if he did not change his ways the day would come when the people would offer up thanks for his departure from the country. On 5 June 1963 (15 of Khordad ) at 3:00 am, two days after this public denunciation of the Shah, Khomeini was detained in Qom and transferred to Tehran. Following this action, there were three days of major riots throughout Iran and

3531-507: The Shi'a majority of his country. In September 1980, Iraq launched a full-scale invasion of Iran, beginning the Iran–Iraq War (September 1980 – August 1988). A combination of fierce resistance by Iranians and military incompetence by Iraqi forces soon stalled the Iraqi advance and, despite Saddam's internationally condemned use of poison gas, Iran had by early 1982 regained almost all of the territory lost to

3638-573: The US "is part of a trove of newly declassified US government documents—diplomatic cables, policy memos, meeting records". The documents suggest that the Carter administration helped Khomeini return to Iran by preventing the Iranian army from launching a military coup, and that Khomeini told an American in France to convey a message to Washington that "There should be no fear about oil. It is not true that we wouldn't sell to

3745-511: The US." The Guardian wrote that it "did not have access to the newly declassified documents and was not able to independently verify them"; however it confirmed Khomeini's contact with the Kennedy administration and claims of support for US interest in Iran particularly oil through a CIA analysis report titled "Islam in Iran". According to a 1980 CIA study, "in November 1963 Ayatollah Khomeini sent

3852-585: The United States of America during the Shah's era and the United States illegally smuggled arms to Iran during the 1980s despite Khomeini's anti-Western policy (see Iran–Contra affair ). During the war, the Iranians used human wave attacks (people walking to certain death included child soldiers), with Khomeini promising that they would automatically go to paradise—al Janna—if they died in battle. Khomeini's pursuit of victory ultimately proved futile. By March 1984, two million of Iran's most educated citizens had left

3959-512: The ailing economy of Iran . Reformists, who seek greater democracy in Iran and closer ties with the West, showed strength in some cities where the clerical leadership allowed them to compete. Reformist leaders said March 16, 2008 that at least 14 winning independents are pro-reform, bringing their bloc to 45 seats so far. If correct, that would be around the size of the reformist presence in the outgoing parliament. Iran's leaders on March 16, 2008 declared

4066-414: The alliance by sources include: 2008 Iranian legislative election Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel Alliance of Builders Ali Larijani United Front Legislative elections for Majlis of Iran were held on 14 March 2008, with a second round held on 25 April 2008. Conservatives loyal to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were considered the victors of the election, at least in part because "all

4173-627: The assistance of his relatives, including his mother's cousin, Ja'far, and his elder brother, Morteza Pasandideh. After the First World War , arrangements were made for him to study at the Islamic seminary in Isfahan , but he was attracted instead to the seminary in Arak . He was placed under the leadership of Ayatollah Abdolkarim Haeri Yazdi . In 1920, Khomeini moved to Arak and commenced his studies. The following year, Ayatollah Haeri Yazdi transferred to

4280-527: The banning of hijab by Reza Shah , whom he always blamed for his father's murder. In addition, he went from Qom to Tehran to listen to Ayatullah Hasan Mudarris, the leader of the opposition majority in Iran's parliament during the 1920s. Khomeini became a marja' in 1963, following the death of Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Husayn Borujerdi . Khomeini also valued the ideals of Islamists such as Sheikh Fazlollah Noori and Abol-Ghasem Kashani . Khomeini saw Fazlollah Nuri as

4387-565: The birth anniversary of Muhammad 's daughter, Fatima . He was raised by his mother, Agha Khanum, and his aunt, Sahebeth, following the murder of his father, Mustafa Musawi, over two years after his birth in 1903. Ruhollah began to study the Qur'an and elementary Persian at the age of six. The following year, he began to attend a local school, where he learned religion, noheh khani (lamentation recital), and other traditional subjects. Throughout his childhood, he continued his religious education with

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4494-526: The book survived murder attempts, the last (in Rushdie's case) in August 2022. The controversy, and subsequent unrest associated with the fatwa has been linked to surges in sales for Rushdie's work. In a speech on 1 February 1979 delivered to a huge crowd after returning to Iran from exile, Khomeini made a variety of promises to Iranians for his coming Islamic regime: a popularly elected government that would represent

4601-428: The books, and if he does not provide, he is indebted to the wife, whether he has the ability or not. Issue 2413 – If a woman does not obey her husband in the matters mentioned in the previous issue, she is a sinner and has no right to food, clothing, housing, and co-sleeping, but her dowry is not lost. Issue 2414 – A man has no right to force his wife to serve the house." A mere three weeks after assuming power, under

4708-506: The classical jurist only require a Muslim to kill anyone who insults the Prophet in his hearing and in his presence." Although Rushdie publicly regretted "the distress that publication has occasioned to sincere followers of Islam", the fatwa was not revoked. The fatwa was followed by a number of deaths, including the lethal stabbing of Hitoshi Igarashi , the Japanese translator of the book, in 1991. Rushdie himself and two other translators of

4815-471: The clerical body whose functions include selection of the supreme leader. With the elimination of reformists, the election has been described as a "contest between conservatives who still support" president Ahmadinejad, and conservatives who don't, or "hard-liners generally in sync with Ahmadinejad and ... `pragmatic conservatives,` ... unsympathetic" to him. Reformist leaders pushed for Iranians to vote in parliamentary elections, hoping to prevent

4922-667: The conservatives won 199 seats while the reformists won 47 and 41 were independents. Some 4,500 candidates nationwide were running for parliament's 290 seats vote, in which an estimated 44 million Iranians of over 18 years of age were eligible to vote. With less than two-thirds of the 290 contests decided by March 15, conservatives had won 125 seats, reformers won 35 and independents won 10, according to news agency Fars. Another 39 winners were independents whose political leanings were not immediately known. Five other seats dedicated to Iran's Jewish , Zoroastrian and Christian minorities have been decided. Anoushiravan Ehteshami , citing

5029-531: The constitution was approved, on 22 October 1979, the United States admitted the exiled and ailing Shah into the country for cancer treatment. In Iran, there was an immediate outcry, with both Khomeini and leftist groups demanding the Shah's return to Iran for trial and execution. On 4 November, a group of Iranian college students calling themselves the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line took control of

5136-486: The country's parliament elections, which were carried by conservatives, a victory that showed Iranians' defiance of the West. The United States and Europe called the vote unfair after most reformists were barred from running. The National Front boycotted the elections. More than half of the reformist seats belongs to the main reformist coalition and the rest are affiliated with the NTP . According to Farideh Farhi, out of

5243-420: The country, and a more powerful Council of Guardians to veto un-Islamic legislation and screen candidates for office, disqualifying those found un-Islamic. The Supreme Leader followed closely but not completely Khomeini ideas in his 1970 book Hokumat-e Islami: Velayat-e faqih ( Islamic Government: Governance of the Jurist ) that had been distributed to his supporters and kept from the public. In November 1979,

5350-489: The country. In July 1988, Khomeini, in his words, "drank the cup of poison" and accepted a truce mediated by the United Nations . Despite the high cost of the war, including 450,000 to 950,000 Iranian casualties and US$ 300 billion, Khomeini insisted that extending the war into Iraq in an attempt to overthrow Saddam had not been a mistake. In a "Letter to Clergy", he wrote that "we do not repent, nor are we sorry for even

5457-550: The creation of theocracy, which was based on the Velayat-e faqih . This began the process of suppression of groups inside his broad coalition but outside his network that had placed their hopes in Khomeini but whose support was no longer needed. This also led to the purge or replacement of many secular politicians in Iran, with Khomeini and his close associates taking the following steps: establishing Islamic Revolutionary courts; replacing

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5564-603: The curriculum of seminaries but were often an object of hostility and suspicion. Inaugurating his teaching career at the age of 27 by giving private lessons on irfan and Mulla Sadra to a private circle, around the same time, in 1928, he also released his first publication, Sharh Du'a al-Sahar (Commentary on the Du'a al-Baha ), "a detailed commentary, in Arabic , on the prayer recited before dawn during Ramadan by Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq ", followed, some years later, by Sirr al-Salat (Secret of

5671-407: The day, and he worked against secularism in the 1940s. His first political book Kashf al-Asrar ( Uncovering of Secrets ), published in 1942, was a point-by-point refutation of Asrar-e Hezar Sale ( Secrets of a Thousand Years ), a tract written by a disciple of Iran's leading anti-clerical historian Ahmad Kasravi , as well as a condemnation of innovations such as international time zones, and

5778-400: The deaths of Ayatollah Sayyed Husayn Borujerdi (1961), the leading, although quiescent, Shi'ah religious leader; and Ayatollah Abol-Ghasem Kashani (1962), an activist cleric. The clerical class had been on the defensive ever since the 1920s when the secular, anti-clerical modernizer Reza Shah Pahlavi rose to power. Reza's son Mohammad Reza Shah instituted the White Revolution , which was

5885-454: The deaths of some 400 people. That event is now referred to as the Movement of 15 Khordad . Khomeini remained under house arrest until August. On 26 October 1964, Khomeini denounced both the Shah and the United States. This time it was in response to the "capitulations" or diplomatic immunity granted by the Shah to American military personnel in Iran. What Khomeini labeled a capitulation law,

5992-437: The documents and the BBC's report. On 16 January 1979, the Shah left the country for medical treatment (ostensibly "on vacation"), never to return. Two weeks later, on Thursday, 1 February 1979, Khomeini returned in triumph to Iran, welcomed by a joyous crowd reported to be of up to five million people. On his chartered Air France flight back to Tehran , he was accompanied by 120 journalists, including three women. One of

6099-468: The election and competed with Council for Coordinating the Reforms Front 's "Reformists Coalition: Friends of Khatami" list, as well as conservative United Front of Principlists and Principlists Pervasive Coalition . Led by Mostafa Kavakebian , in the 2012 Iranian legislative election they were renamed to "Reformists Front", a name similar to the " Reforms Front "—which decided not to participate in

6206-551: The election. Some reformist groups ruled out any cooperation with the Reformists Front, and some even labeled them as “fake reformists” ( Persian : اصلاح‌طلبان بدلی ). In Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr electoral district they were allied with the Worker House and endorsed 15 shared candidates. The two groups were the most notable reformist parties competing in the elections. In early summer 2014, Democracy Party left

6313-401: The embassy of a country he called the " Great Satan " helped to advance the cause of theocratic government and outflank politicians and groups who emphasized stability and normalized relations with other countries. Khomeini is reported to have told his president: "This action has many benefits ... this has united our people. Our opponents do not dare act against us. We can put the constitution to

6420-532: The event was celebrated in thousands of mosques. The phenomenon was thought to demonstrate that by late 1978 he was increasingly regarded as a messianic figure in Iran, and perceived by many as the spiritual as well as political leader of the revolt. As protests grew, so did his profile and importance. Although several thousand kilometers away from Iran in Paris, Khomeini set the course of the revolution, urging Iranians not to compromise and ordering work stoppages against

6527-426: The execution of "all those involved in the publication" of the book. Khomeini's fatwā was condemned across the Western world by governments on the grounds that it violated the universal human rights of free speech and freedom of religion . The fatwā has also been attacked for violating the rules of fiqh by not allowing the accused an opportunity to defend himself, and because "even the most rigorous and extreme of

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6634-464: The export of his revolution throughout the world. He believed Shia and the significantly more numerous Sunni Muslims should be "united and stand firmly against Western and arrogant powers", and also said: "Establishing the Islamic state world-wide belong to the great goals of the revolution." He declared the birth week of Muhammad (the week between 12th to 17th of Rabi' al-awwal ) as the Unity Week and

6741-547: The fate of the American embassy hostages, and demanded that the United States hand over the Shah for trial in Iran for crimes against the nation. Although the Shah died a few months later, during the summer, the crisis continued. In Iran, supporters of Khomeini named the embassy a " Den of Espionage ", publicizing details regarding armaments, espionage equipment and many volumes of official and classified documents which they found there. Khomeini believed in Muslim unity and solidarity and

6848-565: The front in order to be able to remain in the Council for Coordinating the Reforms Front . Following the exit, a split occurred in the front. One faction believed the Deputy Secretary-General Mohammad-Javad Haghshenas takes the secretary-general office, and the other faction elected Ali Faezi as the new secretary-general and retained Majid Mohtashami as spokesperson. On 26 October 2014, one faction tried to register

6955-606: The front in the Ministry of Interior and become the legitimate faction. In October 2014, former leader Mostafa Kavakebian criticized their decision to form a parallel reformist alliance in 2008 , but defended their participation in 2012 . The front issued a list for the 2016 Iranian legislative election which was 100% overlapping with the List of Hope . The front includes minor political parties as well as local parties and less formal groups and organizations. Groups mentioned as members of

7062-515: The general interests of the mostazafin, forcefully arguing that the clergy's sacred duty was to take over the state so that it could implement shari'a, and exhorting followers to protest. Despite their ideological differences, Khomeini also allied with the People's Mujahedin of Iran during the early 1970s and started funding their armed operations against the Shah. According to the BBC , Khomeini's contact with

7169-553: The government." On 11 February (Bahman 22), Khomeini appointed his own competing interim prime minister, Mehdi Bazargan , demanding, "since I have appointed him, he must be obeyed". He warned it was "God's government", and disobedience against him or Bazargan was considered a "revolt against God", and "revolt against God is Blasphemy". As Khomeini's movement gained momentum, soldiers began to defect to his side and Khomeini declared ill fortune on troops who did not surrender. On 11 February, as revolt spread and armories were taken over,

7276-455: The grounds that they were not sufficiently loyal to the Iranian revolution. These included 90% of "independent and reformist candidates," 19 sitting MPs, and Ayatollah Khomeini 's grandson, Ali Eshraghi, who complained, "What saddens me most is the method of discernment used [by the Council of Guardians]. . . . They had asked my neighbors if I pray my daily prayers, or fast? Does my wife respect

7383-470: The guidance of Mirza Ali Akbar Yazdi, a scholar of philosophy and mysticism. Yazdi died in 1924, but Khomeini continued to pursue his interest in philosophy with two other teachers, Javad Aqa Maleki Tabrizi and Rafi'i Qazvini. However, perhaps Khomeini's biggest influences were another teacher, Mirza Muhammad 'Ali Shahabadi , and a variety of historic Sufi mystics , including Mulla Sadra and Ibn Arabi . Khomeini studied ancient Greek philosophy and

7490-423: The highest form of criminal offense. Women were compelled to wear veils and the image of Western women was carefully reconstructed as a symbol of impiety. Morality and modesty were perceived as fundamental womanly traits that needed state protection, and concepts of individual gender rights were relegated to women's social rights as ordained in Islam. Fatima was widely presented as the ideal emulatable woman. At

7597-524: The highest-ranking political and religious authority of the nation, which he held until his death. Most of his period in power was taken up by the Iran–Iraq War of 1980–1988. He was succeeded by Ali Khamenei on 4 June 1989. The subject of a pervasive cult of personality , Khomeini is officially known as Imam Khomeini inside Iran and by his supporters internationally. His funeral was attended by up to 10 million people, or one sixth of Iran's population,

7704-494: The home of Colonel Ali Cetiner of the Turkish Military Intelligence . In October 1965, after less than a year, he was allowed to move to Najaf, Iraq, where he stayed until 1978, when he was expelled by then-Vice President Saddam Hussein . By this time, discontent with the Shah was becoming intense and Khomeini visited Neauphle-le-Château , a suburb of Paris , France, on a tourist visa on 6 October 1978. By

7811-472: The importance of broadening his base, Khomeini reached out to Islamic reformist and secular enemies of the Shah, groups that were suppressed after he took and consolidated power. After the 1977 death of Ali Shariati , an Islamic reformist and political revolutionary author, academic, and philosopher who greatly assisted the Islamic revival among young educated Iranians, Khomeini became the most influential leader of

7918-426: The invasion. The invasion rallied Iranians behind the new regime, enhancing Khomeini's stature and allowing him to consolidate and stabilize his leadership. After this reversal, Khomeini refused an Iraqi offer of a truce, instead demanding reparations and the toppling of Saddam Hussein from power. In 1982, there was an attempted military coup against Khomeini. Although Iran's population and economy were three times

8025-414: The journalists, Peter Jennings , asked: "Ayatollah, would you be so kind as to tell us how you feel about being back in Iran?" Khomeini answered via his aide Sadegh Ghotbzadeh : " Hichi " (Nothing). This statement—much discussed at the time, and also since —was considered by some reflective of his mystical beliefs and non-attachment to ego. Others considered it a warning to Iranians who hoped he would be

8132-574: The largest funeral at the time and one of the largest human gatherings in history. In Iran, his gold-domed tomb in Tehran's Behesht-e Zahrāʾ cemetery has become a shrine for his adherents, and he is legally considered "inviolable", with Iranians regularly punished for insulting him. His supporters view him as a champion of Islamic revival , anti-racism and anti-imperialism. Critics accuse him of human rights violations (including his ordering of attacks against demonstrators, and execution of thousands of political prisoners , war criminals and prisoners of

8239-644: The last Friday of Ramadan as Quds Day in 1981. Shortly after assuming power, Khomeini began calling for Islamic revolutions across the Muslim world , including Iran's Arab neighbor Iraq, the one large state besides Iran with a Shia majority population. At the same time Saddam Hussein , Iraq's secular Arab nationalist Ba'athist leader, was eager to take advantage of Iran's weakened military and (what he assumed was) revolutionary chaos, and in particular to occupy Iran's adjacent oil-rich province of Khuzestan , and to undermine Iranian Islamic revolutionary attempts to incite

8346-598: The late 1960s, Khomeini was a marja -e taqlid (model for imitation) for "hundreds of thousands" of Shia, one of six or so models in the Shia world. While in the 1940s Khomeini accepted the idea of a limited monarchy under the Persian Constitution of 1906 —as evidenced by his book Kashf al-Asrar —by the 1970s he had rejected the idea. In early 1970, Khomeini gave a series of lectures in Najaf on Islamic government, later published as

8453-465: The military declared neutrality and the Bakhtiar regime collapsed. On 30 and 31 March 1979, a referendum to replace the monarchy with an Islamic Republic—with the question: "should the monarchy be abolished in favour of an Islamic Government?"—passed with 98% voting in favour of the replacement. While in Paris, Khomeini had "promised a democratic political system" for Iran but once in power advocated for

8560-440: The ministry of interior as the source, writes that number of eligible voters were 43,824,254 and 22,350,254 votes were cast. Voter turnout in the first round is disputed. Government officials claim that as many as 65% of Iran's 49 million eligible voters took part, a solid turnout but not reaching the around 80% that flooded the polls in elections in the late 1990s and early 2000s (decade). some conservative circles insisted that it

8667-527: The most prominent" reformist candidates were disqualified from running. A few months before the election on December 14, 2007, twenty-one moderate and reformist parties formed a coalition centered on Mohammad Khatami to increase their chances in the election. However, around 1,700 candidates were barred from running by the Guardian Council vetting body, the Supervisory and Executive Election Boards, on

8774-519: The new constitution of the Islamic Republic was adopted by national referendum. Khomeini himself became instituted as the Supreme Leader of Iran , and officially became known as the "Leader of the Revolution". On 4 February 1980, Abolhassan Banisadr was elected as the first president of Iran. Critics complained that Khomeini had gone back on his word to advise, rather than rule the country. Before

8881-503: The opposition to the Shah. Adding to his mystique was the circulation among Iranians in the 1970s of an old Shia saying attributed to the Imam Musa al-Kadhem. Prior to his death in 799, al-Kadhem was said to have prophesied that "[a] man will come out from Qom and he will summon people to the right path". In late 1978, a rumour swept the country that Khomeini's face could be seen in the full moon. Millions of people were said to have seen it and

8988-554: The people of Iran and with which the clergy would not interfere. He promised that "no one should remain homeless in this country", and that Iranians would have free telephone, heating, electricity, bus services and free oil at their doorstep. Under Khomeini's rule, s haria (Islamic law) was introduced, with the Islamic dress code enforced for both men and women by Islamic Revolutionary Guards and other Islamic groups. Women were required to cover their hair, and men were forbidden to wear shorts. Alcoholic drinks, most Western movies, and

9095-413: The people's vote without difficulty, and carry out presidential and parliamentary elections." The new constitution was successfully passed by referendum a month after the hostage crisis began. The crisis had the effect of splitting of the opposition into two groups: radicals supporting the hostage taking, and the moderates opposing it. On 23 February 1980, Khomeini proclaimed Iran's Majlis would decide

9202-500: The powerful and privileged Shi'a ulama (religious scholars), and as Westernizing trends by traditionalists. Khomeini viewed them as "an attack on Islam". Ayatollah Khomeini summoned a meeting of the other senior marjas of Qom and persuaded them to decree a boycott of the referendum on the White Revolution. On 22 January 1963, Khomeini issued a strongly worded declaration denouncing both the Shah and his reform plan. Two days later,

9309-594: The practice of men and women swimming or sunbathing together were banned. The Iranian educational curriculum was Islamized at all levels with the Islamic Cultural Revolution ; this was out thoroughly by the Committee for Islamization of Universities . The broadcasting of any music other than martial or religious on Iranian radio and television was banned by Khomeini in July 1979. The ban lasted 10 years (approximately

9416-431: The pretext of reversing the Shah's affinity for westernization and backed by a vocal conservative section of Iranian society, he revoked the divorce law. Under Khomeini the minimum age of marriage was lowered to 15 for boys and 13 for girls; nevertheless, the average age of women at marriage continued to increase. Laws were passed that encouraged polygamy, made it impossible for women to divorce men, and treated adultery as

9523-540: The previous military and police force; placing Iran's top theologians and Islamic intellectuals in charge of writing a theocratic constitutions, with a central role for Velayat-e faqih ; creating the Islamic Republic Party (IRP) through Khomeini's Motjaheds with the aim of establishing a theocratic government and tearing down any secular opposition; replacing all secular laws with Islamic laws; and neutralising or punishing top theologians ("Khomeini's competitors in

9630-438: The regime. During the last few months of his exile, Khomeini received a constant stream of reporters, supporters, and notables, eager to hear the spiritual leader of the revolution. While in exile, Khomeini developed what historian Ervand Abrahamian described as a "populist clerical version of Shii Islam". Khomeini modified previous Shii interpretations of Islam in a number of ways that included aggressive approaches to espousing

9737-532: The religious hierarchy"), whose ideas conflicted with Khomeini's, including Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari , Hassan Tabatabaei Qomi , and Hossein Ali Montazeri . Some newspapers were closed, and those protesting the closings were attacked. Opposition groups such as the National Democratic Front and Muslim People's Republican Party were attacked and finally banned. As part of the pivot from guide of

9844-451: The rest of his life). According to Janet Afari, "the newly established regime of Ayatollah Khomeini moved quickly to repress feminists, ethnic and religious minorities, liberals, and leftists – all in the name of Islam." Khomeini took on extensive and proactive support of the female populace during the ousting of the Shah and his subsequent homecoming, advocating for mainstreaming of women into all spheres of life and even hypothesizing about

9951-779: The same time, amidst the religious orthodoxy, there was an active effort to rehabilitate women into employment. Female participation in healthcare, education and the workforce increased drastically during his regime. Reception among women of his regime has been mixed. Whilst a section were dismayed at the increasing Islamisation and concurrent degradation of women's rights, others did notice more opportunities and mainstreaming of relatively religiously conservative women. Shortly after his accession as supreme leader in February 1979, Khomeini imposed capital punishment on homosexuals . Between February and March, sixteen Iranians were executed due to offenses related to sexual violations. Khomeini also created

10058-462: The second round of the elections for the Majlis (Iranian parliament), that is less than 8% of those eligible to vote. 82 seats in which no candidate gained more than 25% of the vote in the first round held another round of voting on 25 April 2008; 11 of those seats were in Tehran. Of the 164 candidates, 69 are considered to be Conservative, 41 Reformists and 54 as Independents. Turnout in the second round

10165-461: The shah and the imperial court". In Iran, a number of missteps by the Shah including his repression of opponents began to build opposition to his regime. Cassette copies of his lectures fiercely denouncing the Shah, for example as "the Jewish agent, the American serpent whose head must be smashed with a stone", became common items in the markets of Iran, helping to demythologize the power and dignity of

10272-583: The size of Iraq's, the latter was aided by neighboring Persian Gulf Arab states, as well as the Soviet Bloc and Western countries. The Persian Gulf Arabs and the West wanted to be sure the Islamic revolution did not spread across the Persian Gulf, while the Soviet Union was concerned about the potential threat posed to its rule in central Asia to the north; however, Iran had large amounts of ammunition provided by

10379-618: The spiritual elite (akhass-i khavass) and establishes its author as one of their number." The second book has been translated by Sayyid Amjad Hussain Shah Naqavi and released by Brill in 2015 under the title The Mystery of Prayer: The Ascension of the Wayfarers and the Prayer of the Gnostics . His seminary teaching often focused on the importance of religion to practical social and political issues of

10486-601: Was 73% or higher, "showing" popular support for the regime. "Yet the Ministry of the Interior's own figures indicated a national turnout of 52%, and no more than 30% in Tehran", roughly equivalent to 2004 turnout. From amongst the 49 million eligible voters above 18 years of age announced by the Iran Statistics Center some 23 million Iranians, i.e. 47 percent, participated in the parliamentary elections of March 2, 2008. This

10593-401: Was adopted after Khomeini and his followers took power, and Khomeini was the Islamic Republic's first "Guardian" or " Supreme Leader ". In the meantime, Khomeini talked only about "Islamic Government", never spelling out what exactly that meant. His network may have been learning about the necessity of rule by Jurists, but "in his interview, speeches, messages and fatvas during this period, there

10700-628: Was an Iranian Islamic revolutionary, politician and religious leader who served as the first Supreme Leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989 . He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian Revolution , which overthrew Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and ended the Iranian monarchy . Ideologically a Shia Islamist , Khomeini's religious and political ideas are known as Khomeinism . Born in Khomeyn , in what

10807-677: Was born in Kintoor. He left Lucknow in 1830, on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Ali in Najaf , Ottoman Iraq (now Iraq ), and never returned. According to Moin, this migration was to escape from the spread of British power in India. In 1834, Seyyed Ahmad Musavi Hindi visited Persia, and in 1839, he settled in Khomein . Although he stayed and settled in Iran, he continued to be known as Hindi , indicating his stay in India, and Ruhollah Khomeini even used Hindi as

10914-458: Was in fact a " status-of-forces agreement ", stipulating that U.S. servicemen facing criminal charges stemming from a deployment in Iran, were to be tried before a U.S. court martial, not an Iranian court. Khomeini was arrested in November 1964 and held for half a year. Upon his release, Khomeini was brought before Prime Minister Hassan Ali Mansur , who tried to convince him to apologize for his harsh rhetoric and going forward, cease his opposition to

11021-642: Was influenced by both the philosophy of Aristotle , whom he regarded as the founder of logic, and Plato , whose views "in the field of divinity" he regarded as "grave and solid". Among Islamic philosophers, Khomeini was mainly influenced by Avicenna and Mulla Sadra . Apart from philosophy, Khomeini was interested in literature and poetry. His poetry collection was released after his death. Beginning in his adolescent years, Khomeini composed mystic, political and social poetry. His poetry works were published in three collections: The Confidant , The Decanter of Love and Turning Point , and Divan . His knowledge of poetry

11128-469: Was known for his support of the hostage takers during the Iran hostage crisis , his fatwa calling for the murder of British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie , and for referring to the United States as the " Great Satan " and the Soviet Union as the "Lesser Satan". Following the revolution, Khomeini became the country's first supreme leader, a position created in the constitution of the Islamic Republic as

11235-452: Was not equivalent to rape or zina, declaring "Issue 2412 – A woman who has entered into a permanent marriage should not go out of the house without her husband's permission, and she should surrender herself to whatever pleasure he wants and not prevent him from getting close to her without a legitimate excuse. If she obeys the husband in these matters, it is obligatory on the husband to provide her food, clothes, house and other items mentioned in

11342-678: Was only about 25%. Following the election, the 8th parliament opened on May 27, 2008. Issues in the election have been described as "unemployment, inflation and fuel shortages" in a petroleum-exporting country, and increasing inequality. "The price of some basic foods has doubled within the past year and rents are soaring." Influential conservative clerics are also said to be irritated by president Ahmadinejad's "folksy and superstitious brand of ostentatious piety and his favouritism to men of military rather than clerical backgrounds." Ayatollah Khomeini Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 1902  – 3 June 1989)

11449-420: Was tactically flexible; he played the moderate even pro-American card to take control but once change had come he put in place an anti-America legacy that would last for decades." Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei denied the report, and described the documents as "fabricated". Other Iranian politicians including Ebrahim Yazdi , who was Khomeini's spokesman and adviser at the time of the revolution, denounced

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