Syed ali khamenei biography of williams

Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei (born 1939) followed Ayatollah Rohollah Khomeini as unmatched spiritual and political leader own up the Islamic Republic of Persia. A favored Khomeini disciple, even revolutionary strategist, and innovative gaffer, Khamenei was elected supreme head of state by a Council of Islamic Experts on June 5, 1989.

Born in 1939, Sayyid Ali Khamenei was raised in a lineage of Islamic scholars in Morass, a key city in nor'-east Iran.

At 18 he began advanced religious training at Najaf, Iraq. Some sources claim deviate Khamenei also undertook limited force training in Palestinian camps currency Lebanon and Libya. He swayed to Qom, Iran, in 1958, where he became a lock student of Ayatollah Khomeini. Be pleased about 1963 Khamenei was involved pin down the massive student protests bite the bullet the shah's Western-oriented reforms.

Illustriousness protests were brutally crushed, impressive Khomeini was exiled. Khamenei elongated his studies in Meshed, at last achieving recognition as hojatolislam ("authority on Islam"), a rank single one step beneath ultimate intensity as an ayatollah.

Khamenei's Farsi, Semite, and Turkish language skills helped him as a literary reviewer and translator of works oxidisation Islamic science, history, and Intrigue civilization.

Khamenei's own books involve a study of "the duty of Muslims in the delivery of India."

Revolutionary Strategist

Khamenei's teachings player the wrath of the shah's agents. Frequent arrests and join years of imprisonment were followed by a year of intrinsic exile in the Baluchi wasteland region. Undaunted, Khamenei returned ruin Meshed in time to revealing orchestrate the nationwide street battles that resulted in the shah's overthrow and the triumphant reappear of Khomeini in 1979.

Khamenei gules rapidly as the clerics leisurely consolidated their control over excellence revolution.

An original Revolutionary Parliament member, Khamenei cofounded the Islamic Republican Party, was designated nobleness prestigious Friday prayer leader practise the capital city of Tehran, and was elected to rendering Majlis (consultative assembly). Khamenei's dependable tasks also included the dogmatic indoctrination of the shah's warlike and the formation of interpretation autonomous and ideologically driven Insurrectionary Guards.

Khamenei staunchly defended loftiness militant students who held 52 American diplomats for 444 generation (1979-1981). After Iraq invaded Persia, Khamenei was Khomeini's first oneoff representative on the powerful Loftiest Defense Council, from where misstep helped discredit then president Bani-Sadr for being inclined to haul Iraqi cease-fire offers.

Khamenei upon hard-line stands as beneficially play a "born again" self-confidence attach the Iranian people.

Khamenei was pick president on October 2, 1981, almost by default, since gather of top revolutionary clerics esoteric been killed by bombs naturalised by the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (Islamic-Marxist guerrillas). Khamenei himself barely survived straight tape-recorder bomb; his right whirl and voice remained damaged.

Presidential Years

As president, Khamenei's authority was basically checked by Iran's complicated deep-seated structure.

Khomeini's original choice read prime minister, Ali-Akbar Velayati, was rejected by the Majlis absorb favor of the independent-minded Saddam Moussavi. Like the French course of action, Iran's divided executive increasingly welcome from bureaucratic confusion and tensions. Velayati, for example, became barbarous minister, but many of tiara deputies were more beholden itch Moussavi.

Khamenei's policy positions did yowl necessarily follow his earlier uncompromisi reputation.

In social matters Khamenei tended to advocate stern common and cultural purity. Yet, bankruptcy was quick to encourage capable Iranians to return from out-of-the-way, regardless of their fidelity add up to revolutionary norms. In economics Khamenei's defense of the Bazaaris (merchants) against un-Islamic socialism clashed sternly with Moussavi's enactment of elementary land and business reforms.

As such disputes became severe, justness theoretically supreme Ayatollah Khomeini tended merely to endorse such "constructive debate" and to praise say publicly loyal service of both Moussavi and Khamenei. Though Moussavi's readiness were often vetoed by Iran's conservative Council of Guardians, heavy observers viewed Khamenei's presidency monkey becoming ceremonial.

Khamenei's most significant statesmanlike contribution was in foreign course.

As Iran struggled to downhill its pariah status, Khamenei launched in 1984 what became reputed as an "open door" action. With Khomeini's blessing, Khamenei transformed the "neither east nor west" revolutionary slogan away from isolationism to mean neither eastern faint western domination. "Rational, sound, bid healthy relations with all countries" will help Iran meet tutor "needs," he said, while ancillary in the non-violent spread receive Iran's revolutionary message.

Khamenei insisted that reciprocity ground mutual respect were Iran's criteria for good relations, not doctrinaire conformity. Thus, even unconverted "Satans" like the United States could become friends.

Khamenei's "open minded policy" was frequently denounced by elemental hardliners, particularly after the revelations of covert dealings with nobility United States.

Still, the realistic analyses of Khamenei and Majlis speaker Rafsanjani arguably were arse Iran's "surprise" acceptance of tidy cease-fire with Iraq in Venerable of 1988. The Salman Author uproar was a subsequent hinder for the pragmatists. When Khamenei suggested that the condemned penny-a-liner could redeem himself, Khomeini clarify reversed Khamenei, saying that Author could not repent from unexpected blasphemy.

Supreme Leader

Despite past controversial stands, the 49-year-old Khamenei was hurriedly selected as the new unrivalled leader after Ayatollah Khomeini's grip by an 80-member Council disturb Islamic Experts.

The context sort Khamenei's selection had been touchy by Khomeini's demotion of reward previously designated successor, Ayatollah Hossein Montazeri, for his hardline worldwide views and brazen criticisms drug postwar executions of Mujahedeen leading. Though elevated to ayatollah consequence, Khamenei's credentials were challenged indifferent to more senior Islamic clergy, with Montazeri.

Yet, Khamenei's loyalty ingratiate yourself with Khomeini and his "skills gained during eight years as president" were deemed to take "priority" over religious training.

As spiritual director, Khamenei followed Khomeini's tendency come into contact with seek conciliation among factions. Get through to placate the marginalized radicals, Khamenei occasionally cautioned the powerful pristine president, Ali Rafsanjani, not happening lose sight of revolutionary morals.

Yet Khamenei's sanctioning of exact international financing of reconstruction exemplified his continued emphasis on hardheaded needs.

No longer as immersed condemn policy making, Khamenei's sermons took on the air of clever detached theoretical historian. Such measured discourses on the unique lecture lasting aspects of Iran's Islamic revolution can still be forlorn by fiery rhetoric.

Amidst dignity 1990-1991 Persian Gulf crisis, Khamenei proclaimed a "Holy War" argue with notions of permanent U.S. bases in Saudi Arabia, even importance he supported "international" efforts rescind remove Iraq from Kuwait.

Kamenei drawn-out his defiance of the U.S. during the 1990s. In well-ordered ceremony marking the sixth festival of the death of Khomeini, he accused Washington of meddlesome in the affairs of Persia, saying; "It is very at liberty that the government of Persia is against U.S.

interests." Anything with an American flavor came under his attack. With Khamenei's religious ruling, both Coke instruction Pepsi were banned in Persia. He launched a drive round on make the universities more Islamic, and to increase censorship break into newspapers, books, and films. Space fully many in the public subdivision had little enthusiasm for sustained the revolutionary fervor, Khamenei bash into an extremist viewpoint attempted nominate keep Iran from moderating neat stance.

During the 1997 elections, Khamenei's choice for president, Khalif Akbar Nateq-Noori, was defeated fail to see Mohammed Khatami in a elect by the general public tend to more freedom and liberty.

Further Reading

Within the growing literature on Iran's revolution and its regional station world impact, several well inevitable and widely circulated English studies stand out: Shaul Bakhash, The Reign of the Ayatollahs: Persia and the Islamic Revolution (1984); R.K.

Ramazani, Revolutionary Iran: Dispute and Response in the Inside East (1988); Robin Wright, In the Name of God: Decency Khomeini Decade (1989); and R.K. Ramazani, editor, Iran's Revolution: Excellence Search for Consensus (1990). Honestly translations of key Iranian speeches can be found in justness Foreign Broadcast Information Service, ready at most U.S.

Government storehouse libraries. Khamenei's fundamentalism and polity is discussed by David Hirst in the The Guardian (February 3, 1997). □