Seyyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei is the 3rd President (1981-1989) and the Supreme Leader (from 1989 to the present day) of Iran. He is the closest ally of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) - Imam Ruhollah Khomeini. He was awarded the title of Ayatollah, which allows you to independently make changes to Islamic law. Therefore, the statesman is often called simply Ayatollah Khamenei. Today we will get acquainted with his biography and activities.
Preschool years
Ali Khamenei was born in the holy town of Mashhad on July 15, 1939. He was the second child in the family. He is Azerbaijani by origin. The genus Khamenei refers to the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, the Seids. His grandfather was considered in Azerbaijan, in particular in the cities of Hiabani and Tabriz, not the last clergyman. He later moved to Iraq, in the holy city of Shiites, En-Najaf.
His father, Hajj Seyyed Jawad Hosseini Khamenei was a teacher of madrassas. Like the families of other scholars and clergy, their family lived rather poorly. The wife and children dutifully comprehended from Sayyid Javad the whole depth of understanding of contentment with what they are, and quickly got used to it. In his childhood memories, Ali Khamenei said that his father was a famous theologian, but led a very ascetic lifestyle. Children often had to fall asleep without dinner or be content with bread and raisins. At the same time, a spiritual and clean atmosphere reigned in Ali Khamenei's family. At 4, the future statesman went to school with his elder brother to study the alphabet and the Koran. After that, the brothers completed a primary education course at Dar-at-Taalim Diyanati.
Scientific Theological Seminary in Mashhad
Having mastered reading, syntax and morphology in high school, the future leader of Iran Khamenei enrolled in a scientific theological academy. There, he studied literature and basic religious sciences with his father and other teachers. To questions about why Khamenei chose the path of the clergy, he unequivocally answers that his father played a decisive role in this matter. At the same time, the mother also supported her son and inspired him.
Under the guidance of the father and teachers of the Navvab and Sulefman-Khan Theological Schools, the future Iranian president comprehended such books as Siyuti, Mogni, Jami al-Mukaddamat, Maalem, Sharaye al-Islam, "Sharh-e Lome". To study the treatises, he also attended the classes of Hajj Sheikh Hashem Ghazvini. Khamenei comprehended other subjects according to Islamic principles and Ficht in the classes held by his father.
Preparatory courses, as well as courses of primary and secondary levels (degree “sath”) were given to Khamenei very easily. He successfully completed them in five and a half years, which was an amazing and unprecedented event. Sayyid Javad played a crucial role at all stages of his son’s education. The future revolutionary comprehended the book on philosophy and logic “Manzumee Sabzevar” under the leadership of Ayatollah Mirza Javad Aga Tehrani, who was later replaced by Sheikh Reza Eisi.
Scientific Theological Seminary of St. Nedzhef
At age 18, Khamenei began to study fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and Islamic principles at the highest level. To do this, he attended classes of the highest Mujtahid Ayatollah Milani in Mashhad. In 1957, he poisoned himself in the holy city of Najef and made a pilgrimage to the tombs of the Imams. After attending classes on Islamic principles and fiqh at the highest level, which were conducted by the great Mujahideen of the Nejef Theological Seminary, Ali Khamenei was imbued with the content of subjects and teaching methods in this educational institution. As a result, he told his father that he would like to continue his studies here, but he refused. After some time, the young Khamenei returned to his native Mashhad.
Kuma Theological Seminary
From 1958 to 1964, Khamenei studied at Kuma Seminary. Here he at the highest level comprehended Islamic principles, fiqh and philosophy. In this educational institution, he was lucky to learn from many great personalities, including Ayatollah Borujerdi, Sheikh Mortaz and Imam Khomeini. In 1964, the future president found out that his father lost his eyesight in one eye due to cataracts. He was saddened by this news and faced a difficult choice - to continue his studies or return home to take care of his father and main mentor. As a result, the choice was made in favor of the latter option.
Later, commenting on his return to his homeland, Khamenei will say that, having begun to fulfill his duty and duties, he received a blessing from Allah Almighty. Moreover, he is convinced that many of his subsequent successes were directly related to the grace that he performed towards his parents.
Many Kuma seminar teachers and students were upset about Khamenei's relocation. They were sure that if he stayed and continued his studies, he would certainly be able to achieve great heights. However, it soon became clear that Ali's choice was right, and the hand of divine providence prepared for him a different fate, higher than the calculations of his comrades. It was unlikely then that anyone could have suggested that the 25-year-old gifted youth who left Qom to help his parents, in a few decades, would lead the Muslim religious community.
Returning to his hometown, Khamenei continued to study. Until 1968, he studied fiqh and Islamic principles under the guidance of teachers from the Mashhad Theological Seminary, including Ayatollah Milani. Moreover, since 1964, Khamenei, in his spare time from studying and caring for a sick father, himself taught Islamic principles, fiqh and other religious sciences to young seminarians.
Political struggle
Ali Khamenei said that in matters of religion, fiqh, politics and revolution, he is a student of Imam Khomeini. Nevertheless, the first manifestations of his political activity, revolutionary spirit, and hostility to the Shah’s regime occurred after meeting with seyyid Mojtaba Navvab Safavi. In 1952, when Safavi arrived in Mashhad with representatives of the Fadayan Eslam organization, he delivered a speech at the Suleiman-Khan madrasah in which he spoke of the revival of Islam, the rule of divine laws, the deceit and treachery of the Shah and the British, and their dishonesty in relation to the Iranian people. Khamenei, being one of the young students of the Suleiman Khan madrasah, was very impressed with the fiery performance of Safavi. According to him, it was on that day that sparks of inspiration from the revolution lit up in him.
Entry into the movement of Imam Khomeini
The hero of our conversation entered the arena of political struggle in 1962, when he was in Qom. At that time, the revolutionary movements and protest campaigns of Imam Khomeini against the US-friendly anti-Islamic policy of Muhammad-Reza Pahlavi began. Khamenei desperately fought for the interests of the revolutionaries for 16 years. Despite the many ups and downs (ups, downs, imprisonment and exile), he did not see any threats on his way. In 1959, Ayatollah Khamenei was sent on behalf of Imam Khomeini to the theologians Khorasan and Ayatollah Milani with a message on how the clergy needed to conduct an agitation program in the Moharam, expose Shah’s policies, and clarify the situation in Iran and Qom. Having completed this task, Ali Khamenei went with campaigning to Birjand, where, after the call of Imam Khomeini, he began revelatory and propaganda activities against America and the Pohlevi regime.
On June 2, 1963, the future Iranian president was captured by law and spent one night in custody. On the morning of the next day he was released under conditions of cessation of preaching and being monitored. After the bloody events of June 5, Ayatollah Khamenei was again imprisoned. There he spent ten days in difficult conditions. The future leader of the country was subjected to all kinds of tortures and tortures.
Second conclusion
At the beginning of next year, Khamenei with his comrades went to Kerman. After several days of speaking and meeting with local seminarians, he went to Zahedan. Khamenei’s fiery revelatory speeches were warmly received by the people, especially those delivered on the days associated with the anniversary of the Shah’s falsified referendum. On the 15th of Ramadan, when Iran celebrated the birthday of Imam Hassan, the courage and directness of Khamenei, with whom he exposed the pro-American policy of Pahlavi, reached its climax. As a result, on the night of that day, the revolutionary was arrested and taken to Tehran by plane. He spent the next two months in a solitary confinement in the Kyzyl Kalye prison, whose employees did not deny themselves the pleasure of mocking a famous prisoner.
Third and fourth arrests
The interpretation of the Qur'an, the classes on hadiths and Islamic thinking that the hero of our conversation conducted in Tehran and Mashhad, pleased the revolutionary-minded youth. SAWAK (Iran's Ministry of State Security) quickly reacted to this activity and began to persecute the indefatigable revolutionary. Because of this, the whole of 1966, he had to live a secret life without leaving Tehran. A year later, Ayatollah Khamenei was nevertheless seized and imprisoned.
In 1970, the revolutionary was again imprisoned. The reason was the very scientific, enlightening and reformist activity that he conducted in Tehran after the second arrest.
Fifth arrest
As the Great Ayatollah himself recalls, in 1969 the prerequisites of an armed uprising began to appear in Iran, and the sensitivity of the authorities to people like him began to increase. As a result, in 1971, the revolutionary was again imprisoned. Based on the cruel attitude of SAVAK during his imprisonment, Khamenei concluded that the ruling apparatus is frankly afraid that adherents of Islamic thinking will take up arms and cannot believe that the ayatollah’s propaganda activities are isolated from this movement. Upon his release, the revolutionary further expanded the range of his public studies on the interpretation of the Qur'an and hidden ideological studies.
Sixth arrest
From 1971 to 1974, in the mosques of Keramat, Imm Hassan and Mirha Jafar, located in Mashhad, Khamenei conducted classes on the interpretation of the Koran and ideology. These three Islamic centers attracted thousands of people, among whom were revolutionaries, seminarians and enlightened youth. In the Nahj-ul-Balaga class, enthusiastic listeners were especially enthusiastic. Class materials in the form of copied texts were quickly distributed among interested people.
Moreover, the young seminarians, inspired by the lessons of the struggle for truth, went to different cities of the country to look for like-minded people there and create the prerequisites for revolution. Due to the fact that Khamenei’s activity once again reached impressive proportions, in 1974 SAVAK agents broke into his house. They took the revolutionary to prison and destroyed many of his records. In the biography of Ayatollah Khamenei, this arrest was the most difficult. He spent more than a year behind bars. All this time the revolutionary was kept in the most severe conditions. According to him, the horror that he experienced while in this prison can only be understood by those who saw those conditions.
Having returned to freedom, Ayatollah Khamenei did not abandon his scientific, research and revolutionary program, despite the fact that he was deprived of the opportunity to organize classes with the same scope.
Link and victory
At the end of 1977, the Pahlavi regime once again arrested the Great Ayatollah. This time it was not limited to a conclusion - the revolutionary was exiled for three years to Iranshahr. Already in the middle of next year, at the height of the struggle of the Iranian people, he was released. Returning to the holy Mashhad, Khamenei fell into the front ranks of the people's militia against the Pahlavi regime. After 15 years of desperate struggle for faith, worthy of resistance, a lot of suffering and difficulties, the Ayatollah first saw the fruits of her labor and the work of her comrades-in-arms. As a result, the vicious and tyrannical power of Pahlavi fell, and the Islamic system was established in the country. In anticipation of the victory, Imam Khomeini convened the Council of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, which included vivid revolutionary figures. By order of Khomeini, Ayatollah Khamenei also entered the council.
After victory
Immediately after the victory, Ali Khamenei's career began to develop sharply. He continued to intensively carry out activities to spread Islamic interests, which at that time was extremely necessary. In the spring of 1979, he, together with like-minded people, founded the Party of the Islamic Republic. In the same year, Khamenei was appointed deputy minister of defense, head of the Guardian Corps of the Islamic Revolution, deputy of the Islamic Council Assembly, as well as the imam (spiritual head) of Friday prayers in the city of Tehran.
In 1980, an Iranian statesman became the representative of Imam Khomeini on the Defense Council. With the outbreak of hostilities imposed by Iraq and the invasion of Saddam's army, Khamenei was actively present at the fronts. On June 27, 1981, members of the Munafikin group committed an assassination attempt in the Tehran mosque named after Abuzar.
Presidency
When in October 1981, after long torment, the second president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Muhamed ali Rajai Ayatollah Khamenei, died, gaining sixteen million votes and receiving the approval of Imam Khomeini, became president of Iran. In 1985, he will be re-elected for a second term.
High Leader Post
On June 3, 1989, the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini, died. The next day, the Council of Experts elected Ali Khamenei as the Chief Executive. Initially, Ayatollah Abdul-Karim Mousavi, Ayatollah Ali Meshkini and Ayatollah Golpaigani wanted to divide the leadership post by renaming it the High Council. However, the expert council refused them. Then Ayatollah Golpaygani voted, but lost to Khamenei, who received more than 60% of the vote.
At the heart of Iran’s state system is the principle of the supremacy of the Shiite clergy, which is called Velayat-e Fakih, which means “the rule of the lawyer”. According to this principle, no important decision can come into force until it is approved by the Senior Manager.
The third president of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, was able to significantly expand the sphere of influence of the Senior Leader. He transferred to him a number of presidential powers related to the control of the administration, parliament, the council of ministers, the judiciary, the media, the armed forces, the police, intelligence, as well as non-governmental foundations and business communities.
On the same day, June 4, 1989, the Mejlis of Sharia experts, observing the activities of the revolutionaries, appointed Ali Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution. Earlier this honorary post was held by Imam Khomeini.
Domestic policy
The president and senior leader of Iran actively supported scientific progress. Among the Islamic clergy, he was one of the first to approve research in therapeutic cloning and stem cells. Due to the fact that “oil and gas reserves are not unlimited, ” the president paid much attention to the development of nuclear energy. In 2004, the spiritual leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, advocated accelerating the process of privatization of the economy.
Nuclear weapon
Speaking about the domestic policy of Ali Khamenei, it is worth noting separately his attitude to nuclear weapons. Iranian leader issued fatwa (legal position), according to which the production and stockpiling of atomic weapons is prohibited by Islam. In the summer of 2005, he voiced it at the IAEA meeting as the official position of the Iranian government. However, several former Iranian diplomats claim that Khamenei did not reject the use of nuclear weapons by Islamic Muslims in a conversation with representatives of Iranian special services. Another reason why the influence and implementation of this position has been called into question is that the ruler may mark it in the future if it is beneficial to his country. A similar case has already been in history. So, during the Iran-Iraq conflict, Supreme Leader Khomeini issued a fatwa against indiscriminate weapons, and then canceled it and ordered the production of such weapons to resume.
Foreign policy
America. An integral part of the public appearances of the Great Ayatollah has always been criticism of the United States. It was mainly associated with the imperialist policies of the American leadership in the Middle East, support for Israel, aggression against Iraq and so on. In terms of recent events, Khamenei said that "the Americans are not just opposing the Iranian nation, but they are its main enemies." He also added that "Iran’s retreat in the face of America will give it strength and make it more impudent."
Palestine. Khamenei views Israel as an illegal occupation regime. In this regard, he supports the Palestinians in their reluctance to recognize Israel. The political leader is confident that if one of the representatives of the Islamic world officially recognizes the “oppressive regime of Israel, ” he will not only incur contempt, but also commit a futile action, since this regime will not last long.
According to Ayatollah Khamenei, whose biography is outlined in our article, the Palestinian issue must be resolved through a referendum. It should be attended by everyone who was expelled from Palestine, and all who lived in it until 1948, it does not matter whether it is a Christian or a Jew.
In a recent speech, Khamenei stated that Israel would not last more than 25 years if the Palestinians and other Muslims did not continue their struggle against the Zionist regime. In this struggle, he sees the only way out of the situation, and considers all other methods fruitless.
