Ayatollah Ruhollah KhomeiniEdit
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was a leading Iranian religious figure whose rise to power in 1979 reshaped Iran’s political landscape and its place in the world. He helped fuel a popular 1979 revolution that toppled the monarchy of the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and founded the Islamic Republic of Iran, a theocratic-tinged republic anchored by the doctrine of Velayat-e faqih—the guardianship of the jurist. Khomeini’s brand of governance fused clerical authority with electoral institutions, creating a system that many Iranians saw as a restoration of national sovereignty after years of perceived Western interference. Critics, however, describe the framework as an authoritarian blend of religion and state that curtails political pluralism and civil liberties. The legacy of Khomeini’s leadership continues to shape Iran’s internal politics, its social norms, and its confrontational posture toward many Western powers.
Khomeini’s influence extended beyond religious leadership into the core institutions that define modern Iran. He argued that the legitimacy of government flowed from divine authority as interpreted by senior clerics, and he asserted that political power should ultimately be exercised under religious guidance. This vision culminated in the post-1979 constitution, which vests ultimate sovereignty in the Supreme Leader and integrates religious authority with elected bodies. The resulting system maintained formal elections and parliamentary rules, but real political influence rested with a clerical establishment and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which acted to safeguard the revolution’s core principles. For many, this arrangement delivered stability and a sense of national purpose after a period of upheaval; for others, it created a centralized, durable structure in which dissenting views could be constrained.
Early life and education Born in 1900 in the town of Khomein, Khomeini emerged from the Shia scholarly world surrounding Qom, where he studied jurisprudence and religious philosophy. His early career combined religious study with public admonitions of corruption and foreign influence in Iran, a stance that gained resonance during periods of national frustration over the country’s direction. By the mid-20th century he had become a prominent clerical voice in opposition to the Shah of Iran regime and its modernization program, which many conservatives and popular segments of society perceived as eroding traditional norms and Iranian sovereignty.
Rise to power and the revolution Khomeini’s role in organizing opposition to the monarchy grew during the 1960s and 1970s, and he spent periods in exile as a means of preserving the movement from government suppression. He lived in places such as Najaf and, later, in Qom and Karbala before returning to Iran in 1979 amid a wave of popular uprising. The revolution that followed was a broad coalition of religious scholars, students, workers, and nationalists who opposed the ruling regime’s corruption, political repression, and perceived subservience to Western interests. Upon return, Khomeini quickly established himself as the leading figure of the new order, and the Islamic Republic of Iran was proclaimed. The new political structure combined a theocratic dimension with representative institutions, and it reframed Iran’s international posture in terms of sovereignty, anti-imperialism, and the defense of an independent, morally guided state.
Ideology and governance Khomeini’s core political project rested on the fusion of religious authority with political rule. The concept of Velayat-e faqih argues that a senior cleric should oversee the political system to guarantee that governance aligns with Islamic principles. This framework was codified in the post-revolution constitution and shaped every major policy decision, from diplomacy to domestic law. The result was a state in which religious leadership exercises ultimate authority while maintaining appearances of democratic processes and periodic elections. Supporters emphasize that this arrangement provided a coherent, nationally oriented alternative to both secular authoritarianism and Western liberalism, restoring a sense of national dignity and continuity with Iran’s historical moral and legal traditions. Critics contend that it concentrates power in a small ruling elite, limits political competition, and subjects civil society to clerical oversight not compatible with liberal notions of individual rights and pluralism.
Domestic policy Under Khomeini’s leadership, Iran pursued a moral and social project anchored in traditional norms. The state asserted authority over many aspects of public life, including education, gender norms, media, and cultural expression, arguing that such measures were necessary to preserve revolutionary legitimacy and social order. The early years featured a wave of social and political reorganization, including the creation of integral security structures like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij volunteer corps, which played central roles in maintaining internal stability and promoting the regime’s values. The new order also faced significant challenges, including a harsh crackdown on political dissent and rapid militarization during the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988). Critics point to harsh trials, executions, and suppression of opponents as prima facie evidence of authoritarian governance, while supporters argue that these steps were taken to protect the revolution from internal fragmentation and external aggression.
Foreign policy and international stance Khomeini’s Iran pursued a firm, anti-imperialist foreign policy that emphasized national sovereignty, self-reliance, and leadership of the broader Muslim world. His rhetoric framed Western powers, especially after the Iran hostage crisis of 1979–1981, as interference in Iran’s internal affairs. Iran’s foreign policy under his influence sought to build partnerships with like-minded movements and states while resisting what it perceived as Western attempts to dominate the region. The war with Iraq—a conflict in which Iran faced a formidable conventional opponent—accentuated concerns about regional security and highlighted the regime’s willingness to mobilize the nation for concepts of resistance and defense. The period also saw Tehran’s support for allied groups and movements across the region, a policy that has continued to shape regional dynamics long after Khomeini’s death.
Controversies and debates Khomeini’s leadership generated substantial controversy, domestically and internationally. Critics highlight the suppression of political plurality, the use of revolutionary tribunals, and the mass executions that occurred in the early 1980s, arguing that the regime traded civil liberties for security and ideological conformity. Proponents from a center-right perspective typically contend that, in the wake of decades of corruption, foreign interference, and political chaos, the regime’s prioritization of order, national sovereignty, and cultural continuity provided necessary stability and a framework for gradual change rather than the kind of Western-style liberal upheaval that some observers had promoted. The debates over Khomeini’s fatwas and pronouncements—such as the 1989 declaration concerning the author Salman Rushdie and the novel The Satanic Verses—underscore a broader confrontation over freedom of expression, religious authority, and the limits of dissent within a theocratic-tinged political order. Critics of this stance often insist that such actions are incompatible with modern civil liberties, while those defending the approach argue that the regime’s religiously grounded authority is essential to preserving social cohesion and national independence when faced with external pressures.
Death and legacy Khomeini died in 1989, leaving a lasting imprint on Iran’s constitution, institutions, and political culture. His vision of a state guided by religious authorities continues to inform Iran’s governance, foreign policy, and domestic life. The post-revolution system — with its blend of elected institutions and clerical oversight — endures as a defining feature of Iranian politics, shaping both reformist and conservative currents within the country. His legacy is contested: it is credited by supporters with stabilizing the country and preserving autonomy in the face of Western power, while detractors point to repression of political dissent, gender restrictions, and the suppression of non-conforming voices as enduring flaws of the system he helped to establish.
See also - Iran - 1979 Iranian Revolution - Islamic Republic of Iran - Velayat-e faqih - Supreme Leader of Iran - Mohammad Reza Pahlavi - Iran hostage crisis - Iran–Iraq War - Salman Rushdie