Word: ayatullah
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...legend that many Iranians hold as truth, Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini on his deathbed joined the hands of his chief disciples, Ali Khamenei - who would become Supreme Leader - and Ali Akbar Rafsanjani - the cleric who is now Khamenei's most powerful rival - and warned that if the two should ever be divided, the Islamic Republic would fall. Since the controversial presidential election in June, the growing rift between the two men has been playing out not only on the streets but also, just as important, behind closed doors in a game of chess that their adherents follow but the moves...
...come to a point where the grandchildren of the first Head of the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic, the innocent martyr Ayatullah Beheshti, must be without their parents during the 10 Days of Dawn [a reference to the celebration of the revolution's anniversary] and must live underground in fear of the security forces," said Rafsanjani, according to the story, presumably before turning on his heels and storming out of the Supreme Leader's presence with a swish of his cleric's robes. (See "Iran's Hard-Liners: How to Fight Spontaneous Combustion...
...after all, a battle over the late Ayatullah Khomeini's legacy. His dynastic heir has clearly taken the side of the opposition. Indeed, Hassan Khomeini aroused the ire of pro-government members of parliament after complaining that the state media, the IRIB, had broadcast speeches with selective editing to create a misleading impression of his grandfather's beliefs. The MPs, in a joint statement, retorted, "Imam Khomeini does not belong to a specific 'house...
...Another proposed witness rejected by the court was Ayatullah Ahmad Jannati, a hard-line Iranian politician who chairs the Guardians Council, which oversees legislation in the country and approves candidates for elections. "The court is denying me a fair trial," Wilders said afterward, adding that he was "angry, disappointed, but ready to fight." (Read "The March to the Far Right...
...Movement lock horns in a contest for ownership of the legacy of the revolution. Opposition activists plan to use the day to continue the protests they have maintained since the disputed presidential election in June, seeing themselves as latter-day inheritors of the struggle against dictatorship. But Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei has warned protesters not to disrupt the official ceremonies. "The area of tolerance is over," said police general Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam. "Anyone attending [opposition] rallies will be crushed...