Back Roeholla Chomeini Afrikaans روح الله الخميني Arabic روح الله الخمينى ARZ Ruhollah Khomeini AST Хумейни, РухӀулла AV Ruhullah Xomeyni Azerbaijani سید روحالله خمینی AZB Хөмәйни Рухаллаһ Мусауи Bashkir Рухала Мусаві Хамейні Byelorussian Рухала Мусаві Хамэйні BE-X-OLD
Ruhollah Khomeini | |
|---|---|
| روحالله خمینی | |
 Official portrait, 1981 | |
| 1st Supreme Leader of Iran | |
| In office 3 December 1979 – 3 June 1989 | |
| President |
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| Prime Minister |
|
| Deputy | Hussein-Ali Montazeri (1985–1989) |
| Preceded by | Position established (Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as Shah) |
| Succeeded by | Ali Khamenei |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ruhollah Mostafavi Musavi 17 May 1900 or 24 September 1902[a] Khomeyn, Sublime State of Persia |
| Died | 3 June 1989 (aged 86 or 89) Tehran, Iran |
| Resting place | Mausoleum of Ruhollah Khomeini |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 7, including Mostafa, Zahra, Farideh, and Ahmad |
| Relatives | Khomeini family |
| Education | Qom Seminary |
| Signature |  |
| Website | imam-khomeini |
| Notable idea(s) | New advance of guardianship |
| Notable work(s) | |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Twelver Shiʿa[1][2][3] |
| Creed | Usuli |
| Muslim leader | |
| Teacher | Seyyed Hossein Borujerdi |
| Styles of Ruhollah Khomeini | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | Eminent marji' al-taqlid, Ayatullah al-Uzma Imam Khumayni[4] |
| Spoken style | Imam Khomeini[5] |
| Religious style | Ayatullah al-Uzma Ruhollah Khomeini[5] |
| Part of the Politics series |
| Republicanism |
|---|
 Politics portal |
Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini[b] (17 May 1900 or 24 September 1902[a] – 3 June 1989) 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 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 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 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 who insulted Muhammad,[6] 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 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 state funeral was attended by up to 10 million people, or one fifth of Iran's population, one of the largest funerals and human gatherings in history.[7][8] In Iran, his gold-domed tomb in Tehran's Behesht-e Zahra cemetery has become a shrine for his adherents, and he is legally considered "inviolable", and it is illegal to insult him.[9] His supporters view him as a champion of Islamic revival, anti-racism, independence, reducing foreign influence in Iran, and anti-imperialism.[10] Critics have criticised him for anti-Western and anti-Semitic rhetoric, anti-democratic actions, and human rights violations including the 1988 execution of thousands of Iranian political prisoners,[11][12] as well as for using child soldiers extensively during the Iran–Iraq War for human wave attacks.[13][14][15]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Bowering, Gerhard; Crone, Patricia; Kadi, Wadad; Stewart, Devin J.; Zaman, Muhammad Qasim; Mirza, Mahan, eds. (2012). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought. Princeton University Press. p. 518. ISBN 978-1-4008-3855-4.
- ^ Malise Ruthven (2004). Fundamentalism: The Search for Meaning (Reprint ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-19-151738-9.
- ^ Jebnoun, Noureddine; Kia, Mehrdad; Kirk, Mimi, eds. (2013). Modern Middle East Authoritarianism: Roots, Ramifications, and Crisis. Routledge. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-135-00731-7.
- ^ "Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Chapter 1, Article 1". Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
awas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini calls on Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of "The Satanic Verses" | February 14, 1989". HISTORY. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
- ^ "The ten largest gatherings in human history". The Telegraph. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
- ^ "Which Famous Figure Had the Biggest Public Funeral?". HISTORY. 29 August 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
- ^ "Article 514 of the Islamic Penal Code".
- ^ "Iranian Revolution | Summary, Causes, Effects, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 26 October 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
- ^ Ehteshami, Anoushiravan (2017). Iran: Stuck in Transition (The Contemporary Middle East). Routledge. p. 108. ISBN 9781351985451.
It is estimated that as many as 30,000 individuals may have been executed at that time, in response to a religious edict issued by Ayatollah Khomeini
- ^ "Blood-soaked secrets: Why Iran's 1998 Prison Massacres are ongoing crimes against humanity" (PDF). Amnesty International. 4 December 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
- ^ Overton, Iain (13 April 2019). "How a 13-year-old boy became the first modern suicide bomber". British GQ. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
- ^ Fard, Erfan (16 April 2021). "Antisemitism Is Inseparable from Khomeinism". Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
- ^ The Week UK (17 February 2024). "Iran and the 'Great Satan'". theweek. Retrieved 10 December 2024.