The
Leadership of the Islamic Revolution |
|
(from the Islamic Republic News Agency) |
| It is true to say that people cannot stage
a revolution without leadership, just as the leadership
cannot fulfill a revolution without the people's forces.
In Iran's Islamic Revolution, the two sides (the leadership
and the people) were in fact, two sides of the same coin;
Imam Khomeini, as the leader of the Revolution, fully
represent the people and the people display Imam Khomeini's
determination to find and establish the truth.
The people of Iran
respected and looked up to Imam Khomeini as a symbol
of God's will and manifestation of God's pureness, blessing,
justice and beneficence. They saw Imam Khomeini as the
one who doesn't fight except for God and doesn't act
except for God's people. Imam Khomeini, believing in
God and devoting himself to his mission to save the
deprived and oppressed of the world, had an enormous
influence on the masses. It was this influence of Imam
Khomeini on the people which led to the neutralization
of all the plot to divide the Revolution's leadership.
His influence led to the fulfilling of such a great
Revolution without reliance on arms or dependence on
East or West .
Imam Khomeini was
not only an indefatigable combatant, he was above all
a Faqih, (Islamic jurisprudent) a person versed in gnosis,
a devout man, a philosopher, a Quranic exegetist, a
teacher of ethics, an anthropologist and a great politician.
All these qualities came together in a man who was born
on Mehr 2, 1279 (September 24 , 1902) in a town called
Khomein, 300 kilometers south of Tehran. He was of a
religious family and during his childhood he witnessed
his father's martyrdom in the path of the struggle against
Reza Pahlavi.
He learned the
Islamic and social sciences in the Theological Center
of Qum. In 1342 (1963), when he was known as one of
the great "marjie" i.e. (an authority to which
one appeals) he was arrested for making a direct attack
on the Shah and the United States but after eight months
he was released. In Aban 1343 (October/November 1964),
he was once again arrested for a more vigorous attack
on the Shah and the U.S. and was exiled to Turkey and
then to Najaf, Iraq.
After fourteen
years of exile and relentless struggle against the Shah's
regime Imam Khomeini on the Mehr 13, 1357 (October 5,
1978) was expelled from Iraq and went to Paris. There,
he continued his struggles until the 12th of Bahman
1357 (February 1, 1979) when he returned to Iran amidst
the enthusiastic welcome of millions of Iranians and
led the Islamic Revolution to culmination on the 22nd
of Bahman the same year (February 11, 1979).
The very astonishing
thing is the mutual and sincere relationship between
Imam Khomeini and the people. This strong bond existed,
even when the Imam was for years far away from his people.
This clearly explains the deep influence of the Imam
among Iranian masses and the oppressed of the world.
The truth is that Imam Khomeini never lived apart from
society and was always acquainted with the people's
pains, sufferings and problems, both concrete and abstract.
He sympathized with them and regarded government and
rulership as a means of serving people and gaining God's
satisfaction. |
|
|
|
| It is true
to say that people cannot stage a revolution without leadership,
just as the leadership cannot fulfill a revolution without
the people's forces. In Iran's Islamic Revolution, the two
sides (the leadership and the people) were in fact, two sides
of the same coin; Imam Khomeini, as the leader of the Revolution,
fully represent the people and the people display Imam Khomeini's
determination to find and establish the truth.
The people of Iran
respected and looked up to Imam Khomeini as a symbol of
God's will and manifestation of God's pureness, blessing,
justice and beneficence. They saw Imam Khomeini as the one
who doesn't fight except for God and doesn't act except
for God's people. Imam Khomeini, believing in God and devoting
himself to his mission to save the deprived and oppressed
of the world, had an enormous influence on the masses. It
was this influence of Imam Khomeini on the people which
led to the neutralization of all the plot to divide the
Revolution's leadership. His influence led to the fulfilling
of such a great Revolution without reliance on arms or dependence
on East or West .
Imam Khomeini was not
only an indefatigable combatant, he was above all a Faqih,
(Islamic jurisprudent) a person versed in gnosis, a devout
man, a philosopher, a Quranic exegetist, a teacher of ethics,
an anthropologist and a great politician. All these qualities
came together in a man who was born on Mehr 2, 1279 (September
24 , 1902) in a town called Khomein, 300 kilometers south
of Tehran. He was of a religious family and during his childhood
he witnessed his father's martyrdom in the path of the struggle
against Reza Pahlavi.
He learned the Islamic
and social sciences in the Theological Center of Qum. In
1342 (1963), when he was known as one of the great "marjie"
i.e. (an authority to which one appeals) he was arrested
for making a direct attack on the Shah and the United States
but after eight months he was released. In Aban 1343 (October/November
1964), he was once again arrested for a more vigorous attack
on the Shah and the U.S. and was exiled to Turkey and then
to Najaf, Iraq.
After fourteen years
of exile and relentless struggle against the Shah's regime
Imam Khomeini on the Mehr 13, 1357 (October 5, 1978) was
expelled from Iraq and went to Paris. There, he continued
his struggles until the 12th of Bahman 1357 (February 1,
1979) when he returned to Iran amidst the enthusiastic welcome
of millions of Iranians and led the Islamic Revolution to
culmination on the 22nd of Bahman the same year (February
11, 1979).
The very astonishing
thing is the mutual and sincere relationship between Imam
Khomeini and the people. This strong bond existed, even
when the Imam was for years far away from his people.
This clearly explains the deep influence of the Imam among
Iranian masses and the oppressed of the world. The truth
is that Imam Khomeini never lived apart from society and
was always acquainted with the people's pains, sufferings
and problems, both concrete and abstract. He sympathized
with them and regarded government and rulership as a means
of serving people and gaining God's satisfaction.
| Chronological
Overview of the Islamic Revolution |
|
| 1978 |
January |
|
|
|
February |
|
- Demonstrations and rioting in Tabriz marking
the 40th day of the Qom uprising;
|
|
August |
|
- Violent demonstrations in Isfahan;
- Following the spread of national protests,
the government of Amoozegar resigns and
Sharif-Imami takes office;
|
|
September |
|
- Id al-Fitr prayers are held publicly in
Tehran and other cities, developing into
general protests against the government;
- Bloody Friday: A large number of demonstrators
are killed by Army forces in Tehran,
|
|
October
|
|
- Ayatollah Khomeini decides to leave Iraq
following the Iraqi government's prohibition
of his political activities. He heads for
Kuwait first but being refused entry visa
he takes up temporary in France;
- A number of political prisoners are released
from prison;
|
|
November
|
|
- The demonstration of school and university
students in Tehran is violently suppressed
by the military;
- The government of Sharif - Imami falls
and the military government of General Azhari
takes office;
- Coinciding with the religious occasions
of Tasu'a and Ashura, millions of people
demonstrate against the Shah;
|
|
|
| 1979
|
January |
|
- The government of Azhari falls and the
Shah assigns Shapur Bakhtiar to form a government;
- Ayatollah Khomeini announces the forming
of the Council of the Islamic Revolution;
- The Shah leaves Iran;
|
|
February
|
|
- Ayatollah Khomeini arrives in Tehran to
an unprecedented popular reception;
- Ayatollah Khomeini names Mehdi Bazargan
as the head of his provisional government;
- The Army surrenders to the popular forces,
the government of Bakhtiar falls and the
provisional government formally takes office;
|
|
April
|
|
- 99.5 per cent of the electorate vote in
favor of an Islamic Republic as against
the monarchy in a two-day referendum;
|
|
|
|
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