Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini

Iranian Flag Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini
By Emma D.

Much of Khomeini's early life, such as his exact date of birth, or how so many of his family were killed, or how he was raised, is unknown. Some people say he was very poor growing up, and some say that isn't so. Khomeini's grandfather and father were both religious scholars.

It is said that he read the Koran, a holy book, by the time he was 7.

In his late 20's, Ruholla married. He also had eight children. In the late 1930's, Khomeini started teaching.

Khomeini was very cross with how the Shah governed Iran and was thrown in jail by him. He was in prison for 10 months, then released.

When he was back at home, Ruholla Khomeini would wake up in the middle of the night to pray, he was a very religious man.

Khomeini still never lost his thoughts of the Shah. He thought the Shah must go. In 1973, the Shah raised oil prices. Many people were confused with who should govern the land and all that commotion caused shooting and chaos. Khomeini moved to a Paris suburb.

Str Toilet angely enough, since Khomeini hated westerners and their style, he removed a toilet in his home in Paris because it was the style of the westerners. Twice a day, Ruholla Khomeini would preach and talk to the people of Europe.

Within the years to come, Khomeini planned to overthrow the Shah, make Iran as Islamic as possible, and hold America hostage.

Soon riots and angry mobs broke out in Iran, most of which were trying to overthrow the Shah. Later, the Shah decided that he could not handle Iran anymore and gave up his throne. Khomeini's followers were so happy and celebrated through the streets. They had overtaken the Shah. Millions of Iranians praised Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini. They cheered Ayatollah on, all day during his first day in office.

Ayatollah Khomeini Khomeini ruled with dictatorship. Sometimes people were arrested for listening to music! Many people became angry with Ruholla and protested. If you angered Khomeini, chances are you would die. But there was one thing everyone agreed on. That was that they wanted "death" to America.

Then war broke out between Ayatollah Khomeini and Saddam Hussein. Iraq wanted some of Iran's land. Iraq bombed Iran, Iran bombed Iraq, and Iran was still trying to take America hostage. That's when Khomeini trained young men into an army.

A man named Salman Rushdie wrote a book that Khomeini found disrespectful towards Islam. Khomeini sentenced him to death by anyone Islamic. No one has killed him, though.

Khomeini had a heart condition and many heart attacks. In June, 1979, he had surgery. A couple of days later he died in his late 80's. At his funeral, millions of Iranians mourned Khomeini's death.

Citations

Tape

A&E Television Networks. Ayatollah Khomeini, Holy Terror. New York, N.Y. 1996.

Images

Images of book, toilet, and Iranian flag from "Microsoft Office Design Gallery Live" <http://dgl.microsoft.com/?CAG=1> Images free for non-profit and personal use. (December-March, 2003).

Image of Ayatollah Khomeini from "ArtToday.com" <http://members.clipart.com/en/index> (2003).