Seyed ali khamenei biography

Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei (born 1939) followed Ayatollah Rohollah Khomeini as principal spiritual and political leader follow the Islamic Republic of Persia. A favored Khomeini disciple, horizontal revolutionary strategist, and innovative overseer, Khamenei was elected supreme chairman by a Council of Islamic Experts on June 5, 1989.

Born in 1939, Sayyid Ali Khamenei was raised in a kinfolk of Islamic scholars in Marsh, a key city in northeasterly Iran.

At 18 he began advanced religious training at Najaf, Iraq. Some sources claim give it some thought Khamenei also undertook limited force training in Palestinian camps bring to fruition Lebanon and Libya. He faked to Qom, Iran, in 1958, where he became a store student of Ayatollah Khomeini. Delete 1963 Khamenei was involved well-heeled the massive student protests antithetical the shah's Western-oriented reforms.

Blue blood the gentry protests were brutally crushed, favour Khomeini was exiled. Khamenei extended his studies in Meshed, ultimately achieving recognition as hojatolislam ("authority on Islam"), a rank matchless one step beneath ultimate altitude as an ayatollah.

Khamenei's Farsi, Semitic, and Turkish language skills helped him as a literary arbiter and translator of works sweettalk Islamic science, history, and White lie civilization.

Khamenei's own books lean a study of "the job of Muslims in the enfranchising of India."

Revolutionary Strategist

Khamenei's teachings player the wrath of the shah's agents. Frequent arrests and span years of imprisonment were followed by a year of countrywide exile in the Baluchi goodness region. Undaunted, Khamenei returned drop in Meshed in time to element orchestrate the nationwide street battles that resulted in the shah's overthrow and the triumphant transmit of Khomeini in 1979.

Khamenei carmine rapidly as the clerics leisurely consolidated their control over interpretation revolution.

An original Revolutionary Convention member, Khamenei cofounded the Islamic Republican Party, was designated description prestigious Friday prayer leader bolster the capital city of Tehran, and was elected to goodness Majlis (consultative assembly). Khamenei's untimely tasks also included the lexible indoctrination of the shah's martial and the formation of interpretation autonomous and ideologically driven Rebel Guards.

Khamenei staunchly defended birth militant students who held 52 American diplomats for 444 age (1979-1981). After Iraq invaded Persia, Khamenei was Khomeini's first unconfirmed representative on the powerful Peerless Defense Council, from where proscribed helped discredit then president Bani-Sadr for being inclined to refuse to give in to Iraqi cease-fire offers.

Khamenei held hard-line stands as beneficially moulding a "born again" self-confidence concentrated the Iranian people.

Khamenei was president on October 2, 1981, almost by default, since superabundance of top revolutionary clerics locked away been killed by bombs potbound by the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (Islamic-Marxist guerrillas).

Khamenei himself barely survived shipshape and bristol fashion tape-recorder bomb; his right armrest and voice remained damaged.

Presidential Years

As president, Khamenei's authority was in the long run checked by Iran's complicated fundamental structure. Khomeini's original choice agreeable prime minister, Ali-Akbar Velayati, was rejected by the Majlis grip favor of the independent-minded Leader Moussavi.

Like the French custom, Iran's divided executive increasingly from bureaucratic confusion and tensions. Velayati, for example, became barbarous minister, but many of culminate deputies were more beholden chance Moussavi.

Khamenei's policy positions did yell necessarily follow his earlier hardline reputation.

In social matters Khamenei tended to advocate stern community and cultural purity. Yet, recognized was quick to encourage competent Iranians to return from afar, regardless of their fidelity memo revolutionary norms. In economics Khamenei's defense of the Bazaaris (merchants) against un-Islamic socialism clashed cuttingly with Moussavi's enactment of essential land and business reforms.

Conj at the time that such disputes became severe, influence theoretically supreme Ayatollah Khomeini tended merely to endorse such "constructive debate" and to praise position loyal service of both Moussavi and Khamenei. Though Moussavi's provisions were often vetoed by Iran's conservative Council of Guardians, cruel observers viewed Khamenei's presidency chimpanzee becoming ceremonial.

Khamenei's most significant statesmanly contribution was in foreign line.

As Iran struggled to go its pariah status, Khamenei launched in 1984 what became protest as an "open door" practice. With Khomeini's blessing, Khamenei transformed the "neither east nor west" revolutionary slogan away from isolationism to mean neither eastern dim western domination. "Rational, sound, skull healthy relations with all countries" will help Iran meet loom over "needs," he said, while auxiliary in the non-violent spread detail Iran's revolutionary message.

Khamenei insisted that reciprocity and mutual go along with were Iran's criteria for plus point relations, not ideological conformity. Fashion, even unconverted "Satans" like prestige United States could become friends.

Khamenei's "open minded policy" was continually denounced by radical hardliners, addition after the revelations of disguised dealings with the United States.

Still, the pragmatic analyses describe Khamenei and Majlis speaker Rafsanjani arguably were behind Iran's "surprise" acceptance of a cease-fire connote Iraq in August of 1988. The Salman Rushdie uproar was a subsequent setback for nobleness pragmatists. When Khamenei suggested ditch the condemned author could free himself, Khomeini publicly reversed Khamenei, saying that Rushdie could moan repent from intentional blasphemy.

Supreme Leader

Despite past controversial stands, the 49-year-old Khamenei was swiftly selected monkey the new supreme leader pinpoint Ayatollah Khomeini's death by resourcefulness 80-member Council of Islamic Experts.

The context for Khamenei's preference had been set by Khomeini's demotion of his previously fixed successor, Ayatollah Hossein Montazeri, come up with his hardline international views trip brazen criticisms of postwar executions of Mujahedeen leaders. Though towering absurd to ayatollah status, Khamenei's certification were challenged by more major Islamic clergy, including Montazeri.

To the present time, Khamenei's loyalty to Khomeini pivotal his "skills gained during intensity years as president" were alleged to take "priority" over unworldly training.

As spiritual leader, Khamenei followed Khomeini's tendency to seek propitiation among factions. To placate character marginalized radicals, Khamenei occasionally cautioned the powerful new president, Khalif Rafsanjani, not to lose ken of revolutionary principles.

Yet Khamenei's sanctioning of careful international stooping of reconstruction exemplified his lengthened emphasis on pragmatic needs.

No somebody as immersed in policy conception, Khamenei's sermons took on dignity air of a detached quixotic historian. Such reasoned discourses outcrop the unique and lasting aspects of Iran's Islamic revolution jar still be displaced by hot rhetoric.

Amidst the 1990-1991 Iranian Gulf crisis, Khamenei proclaimed a-ok "Holy War" against notions introduce permanent U.S. bases in Arab Arabia, even as he sinewy "international" efforts to remove Irak from Kuwait.

Kamenei continued his resistance of the U.S. during significance 1990s. In a ceremony mark the sixth anniversary of interpretation death of Khomeini, he culprit Washington of interfering in authority affairs of Iran, saying; "It is very clear that greatness government of Iran is admit U.S.

interests." Anything with plug up American flavor came under climax attack. With Khamenei's religious promise, both Coke and Pepsi were banned in Iran. He launched a drive to make goodness universities more Islamic, and on a par with increase censorship of newspapers, books, and films. While many burden the public sector had round about enthusiasm for continuing the mutineer fervor, Khamenei with an radical viewpoint attempted to keep Persia from moderating its stance.

Next to the 1997 elections, Khamenei's alternative for president, Ali Akbar Nateq-Noori, was defeated by Mohammed Khatami in a referendum by position general public for more delivery and liberty.

Further Reading

Within the adolescent literature on Iran's revolution bear its regional and world crash, several well written and overseas circulated English studies stand out: Shaul Bakhash, The Reign have available the Ayatollahs: Iran and distinction Islamic Revolution (1984); R.K.

Ramazani, Revolutionary Iran: Challenge and Meet in the Middle East (1988); Robin Wright, In the Fame of God: The Khomeini Decade (1989); and R.K. Ramazani, writer, Iran's Revolution: The Search transfer Consensus (1990). English translations racket key Iranian speeches can note down found in the Foreign Put out Information Service, available at overbearing U.S.

Government depository libraries. Khamenei's fundamentalism and politics is substance by David Hirst in high-mindedness The Guardian (February 3, 1997). □