After 30 Years, Imam’s Legacy Carries On

Date: 02 June 2019 - 21:49

News ID: ۶۶۶۶۸

TEHRAN (Dispatches) — Thirty years ago millions of mourners crowded the streets of Tehran for the funeral of Imam Khomeini, and today the founder of the Islamic Republic remains a guiding figure in Iran, France’s AFP news agency reported on Sunday.
In life, he was recognized by his followers as the "Imam,” leader of the Shia community, and decades after his passing he remains enshrined in the Iranian constitution as "the great source of imitation.”
"His key legacy is the strong notion of independence, sovereignty and resilience against foreign hegemony and imperialism that still continues to exist among Iranians,” Muhammad Marandi, head of the American studies department at Tehran University, told AFP.
Born in 1902, Imam Khomeini passed away on June 3, 1989, following a battle with cancer just over 10 years after he led the Islamic Revolution that swept Iran’s last shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, a key U.S. ally, from power.
Imam Khomeini’s teaching was centered on the defense of Islam and the underprivileged and a fierce rejection of Western imperialism.
He revived the doctrine of Velayat-e faqih (the guardianship of the jurist) stating that power should be in the hands of a supreme spiritual leader chosen for his piety to direct both the state and believers.
"Velayat-e Faqih is not a concept that he created. It existed in Shia jurisprudence over many centuries,” said Marandi.
"What was new was that he actually was able to overthrow a Western-backed dictatorship in the country and establish an Islamic Republic” that allowed Iran to put the "theory into practice.”
The overthrow of the monarchy was achieved thanks to a disparate array of forces.
While Imam Khomeini has become a major historic figure, he continues to play a central role in discourse in Iran decades after his death.
"The ayatollah’s charisma is kept alive in the political debate,” said Clement Therme, an Iran specialist at the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), cited by AFP.
While disputes may rage over Imam Khomeini’s political legacy there is little doubt that he transformed Iran and remains for many in the country a major authority.
Imam Khomeini "literally changed Iranian society, from a country that was subservient to the needs and interests of foreign entities to prioritizing the needs, the dignity, beliefs, culture and the interests of the indigenous population,” said Marandi from Tehran University.