Ayatollah Khomeini's influence is still felt in Iran
Posted on 06/17/2006 6:45:57 PM PDT by fight_truth_decay
The grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, the inspiration of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, has broken a three-year silence to back the United States military to overthrow the country's clerical regime.
Hossein Khomeini's call is all the more startling as he made it from Qom, the spiritual home of Iran's Shia strand of Islam, during an interview to mark the 17th anniversary of the ayatollah's death.
"My grandfather's revolution has devoured its children and has strayed from its course," he told Al-Arabiya, an Arabic-language television station. "I lived through the revolution and it called for freedom and democracy - but it has persecuted its leaders."
He also made clear his opposition to Teheran's alleged development of a secret nuclear weapons programme. "Iran will gain real power if freedom and democracy develop there," he said. "Strength will not be obtained through weapons and the bomb."
Mr Khomeini, 47, is a Shia cleric, but he believes that the holy men who have run the country since 1979 - to whom he dismissively refers as "wearers of the turban" - abused their power following the overthrow of the Shah.
The Dubai-based satellite channel's website spelt out his backing for armed intervention by America, a country excoriated as the Great Satan by his grandfather and Iran's current rulers.
It stated: "As for his call to President Bush to come and occupy Iran, Hossein Khomeini explained that 'freedom must come to Iran in any possible way, whether through internal or external developments.
If you were a prisoner, what would you do? I want someone to break the prison [doors open]'."
His approach is even more hardline than that of fiercely anti-regime Iranian exiles, who oppose military action while urging the US to back a domestic uprising.
It is the first time he has voiced his bitter opposition to the regime since Teheran engaged on its nuclear confrontation with the international community under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, its virulently anti-US president.
At home, the regime has recently faced violent protests by ethnic Azeris and demonstrations by students' and women's groups.
Mr Khomeini briefly emerged as an unlikely critic of the Islamic Republic in 2003, when he called for armed invasion during a visit to Washington and New York.
The cleric returned to Iran at his family's insistence and was protected from retribution by his grandfather's widow, Batol Saqafi Khomeini.
It is not clear why he has chosen now to speak out again or whether the regime was aware that he would be talking to Al-Arabiya after banning other media organisations from interviewing him. A translation of his comments, made on May 31, was first released last week by the Middle East Media Research Institute.
He said that if he came to power in Iran, one of his first acts would be to make wearing the hijab (veil) an optional choice for women.
Mr Khomeini's mentor is believed to be the regime's best-known religious critic, Grand Ayatollah Ali Montazeri, who was released from house arrest in Qom in 2003 after six years for criticising the rule of Ayatollah Ali Khameini.
Ayatollah Khomeini's influence is still felt in Iran
Blow it out your turban!!!!
Doogle
Oy Vey!
Looks like a picture of Sean Connery to me.
And is this whacko going to pay the bills for such an action???
Can these people do ANYTHING for themselves??????
He can back us all he wants, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea.
The Iranian people are fairly pro western but they're also very proud and very nationalistic. American boots on Iranian soil would be like stomping a hornets nest.
Maybe we could use oil money just like we were going to with Iraq.
Surely this will give encouragement to others in Iran who support freedom. Despite some abuses by the Shah, Iran -- by Middle East standards -- was a free and enlightened country. Khomeini's revolution had the effect of Talibanizing what had the potential of becoming a great nation. It would be fitting if Khomeini's grandson could help get Iran back on the right path.
I'll paraphrase what this guy's saying.
"Help me overthrow this islamic regime that screams 'Death to America' so I can take control and scream 'Death to America' myself. Oh, and I need America to do this."
This joker's playing both sides. I'm a big believer that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
..yeah three years,like most prominent Muslims. Get your knickers all in a bunch and knotted now that things are looking pretty good in Iraq. Typical Mussy bravado, speak up now,but your saying the wrong thing....where was your intelligence in helping defeat insurgents from your country? Do us all a favor, go back to remaining "silent"
Doogle
???
the grandson is a dead-man-walking.
Who ya gonna call? The GREAT SATAN.
PS: Please excuse all that Death to America tripe. We were just talking to our base. We forgive you. Now could you help us before more innocents are killed?
This guy is for real. I was in New York in 2003 and heard him speak at a meeting at the UN. He looks a lot like his granddad. He said he supports "separation of mosque and state," and that he believes only a secular state like the US can possibly sustain true freedom for all religious people. He has seen the result of Islamo-fascism and hates it.
I agree. Making this statement from the belly of the beast is an example of the height of courage.
Thought both the stories coming out at the same time might not be coincidental, that's why I posted both. Then again .... Spy Who Turned Tide With Libya Is Brought Back (from self-imposed exile)To Target Teheran
How old are you? 11 going on 12?
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