Ayatollah Khomeni essays

Ayatollah Khomeni essays What Were The Significant Influences of Religion Upon Ayatollah Khomeinis Leadership Style? Ayatollah Khomeini was born in 1902. After his initial religious training he taught in the major Shi'i theological school at Qom, but was exiled for his opposition to the government of the Shah, Reza Khan. Living in Paris after 1978 he orchestrated the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Iran. He became both the political and religious leader of the country throughout the protracted Iran-Iraq war, until he died in 1989. Ruhollah Khomeini can be portrayed as one of the most seminal and enigmatic characters of the twentieth century. In no small way has his influence touched our lives, even, or perhaps especially, here in the detached atmosphere of a western first world country, and herein lies the dilemma: Khomeini represents a type of politico-spiritual leader virtually unheard of in the West save the token titles of ruling monarchs in Victorian England. This, combined with the different social implications of Islam compared to Christianity leaves a wide gap in our perceptions, and therefore our ability, to produce an objective analysis. There are many factors to be considered when evaluating the leadership of an individual, and these will vary significantly in effect from leader to leader, but with one proviso there will always be a single unifying purpose. It is this purpose that drives the individual to greatness, or alternatively, excess, and in Khomeini this manifested itself in the form of religious fanaticism. Religion in the Islamic world governs every facet imaginable of society, from law to education to social customs, and the clerics hold great sway over public opinion. This essay will attempt to address the implications of this religious control when utilised by a charismatic, single-minded individual, and how a sufficiently eloquent orator can twist the emotions of the populace. Now, in the light of recent tra...