The Ayatollah Khomeini (1900-1989), was an Iranian religious and political leader, who in 1979 made Iran the first Islamic republic in the world.
Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini He was born in Kohmeyn in central Iran. He became a religious scholar and in the early 1920s became “ayatollah,” the term used to designate a leading Shiite scholar.
In 1962, Khomeini He was arrested by the Shah’s security service for his open opposition to the pro-Western regime. His arrest elevated him to the status of a national hero. In 1964, he was exiled, living in Turkey, Iraq, and then France, from where he urged his supporters to overthrow the shah. By the late 1970s, the shah had become deeply unpopular and there were riots, strikes, and mass demonstrations across the country.
In January 1979, the shah’s government collapsed and he and his family fled into exile. On February 1, Khomeini he returned triumphantly to Iran. There was a national referendum and Khomeini he won with a landslide victory. He declared an Islamic republic and was named Iran’s political and religious leader for life. Islamic law was introduced throughout the country. His denunciation of American influence led militant Islamic students to raid the US embassy in Tehran in November 1979. Some of the American hostages were held captive for more than a year.
In September 1980, after a territorial dispute over the Shatt al-Arab, Iraq launched a surprise invasion of Iran. The resulting war lasted eight years and between a half and a million and a half people died. Neither side achieved its goal of overthrowing the other’s regime. The war quenched some of the zeal for the Islamic revolution in Iran and led some Iranians to question the capabilities of their leaders.
In February 1989, Khomeini sparked international controversy by issuing a “fatwa”, ordering Muslims to kill writer Salman Rushdie for his novel “The Satanic Verses.”
Khomeini died on June 3, 1989 in Tehran, due to cancer. His death was a true national mourning and if he falls today, it continues to be a center of pilgrimage and worship.