All language subtitles for I Knew Khomeini _ Featured Documentary

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Val ayatollah khomeini the architect and

the face of the Iranian Revolution one

thing that was attractive about him is

that he wasn't after power he wanted to

serve the people of him

but rarely in modern history has a man

who did not seek power come to wield so

much of it

overall he took pleasure in seeking

power we should have known better grand

ayatollah khomeini a leading religious

scholar became the spiritual leader of

the Iranian Revolution the revolution

would have a wide-ranging impact on the

region and would Herald

an era of defiance and conflicts between

Iran and the West one that continues to

this day

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for such an iconic figure little is

known about the early life of Rahula

Mousavi home a knee he was born in 1902

it's believed in the north central town

of co-main into a family with a long

tradition of religious worship a

tradition that would continue he proved

to be a prodigious pupil especially in

areas of Islamic law he was a star

student to the foremost ayatollahs of

the day in the leading seminaries in the

holy city of Qom which remains to this

day the center of sheer religious

learning a world far removed from that

of Iran's royal family Imam Khomeini as

Buzzelli Imam Khomeini as a scholar had

a special place in the religious school

of gum especially in areas of Sharia

laws and jurisprudence in addition to

philosophy and mysticism having this

position he was thoroughly anti Pallavi

royal family regime in terms of

knowledge and morality he was at a very

high level and he was not after either

position or worldly possessions he had

only God in his mind and whoever lives

this way God will help from the outset

Khomeini was drawn to the relationship

between politics and religion in

particular the role of the clergy in

politics in his 20s he would develop his

theory of vely are teeth appear the

guardianship of Duras consul or clerical

authority something that would become a

central tenet in the establishment of

the Islamic Republic in his talks with

religious scholars and leaders he raised

the issue of saving Iran and saving

Islam he saw that we needed to overthrow

the Pallavi dynasty

khomeini became a lecturer at religious

seminaries in pom and in Najaf in iraq

two of Shir Islam's most important

cities teaching political philosophy and

Islamic history and ethics and his

hostility to the Shahs reign began to

receive wider attention he became the

main speaker of the opposition inside

Iran and he gained their ground for what

he was doing because correctly he was

continuously attacking the shores

brutality because of that he gained US

popular support of the people in 1963

the Shah instituted wide-ranging reforms

the so-called white revolution changed

the laws on land ownership and gave

women the right to vote in another move

that inflamed his critics American

military personnel living in Iran were

granted freedom from prosecution for

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Ayatollah Khomeini this was unbearable

his criticism of the Shahs lavish

lifestyle and infamous brutality had

been muted compared to his condemnation

of the new reforms who many reply to the

Shahs announcement saying that as far as

we know men are not free to vote since

when are women free to vote as well he

made a sharp attack against the Shah

himself saying that if he did not change

his ways the day would come when the

people would offer up thanks for his

departure from the country

it was a measure of Khomeini's following

that his comments led to an uprising

income in June of 1963 he was arrested

and soon exiled after a two-year stay in

Turkey

he returned to magic in Iraq where he

had pursued his religious studies years

earlier he continued his sermons as well

as his attacks on the sharp port exile

did not silence Moore's impunity

Linda gears a tomando reserve his

program in Najaf was a simple and

ordinary one he was teaching and

continuing the struggle his speeches had

a great impact on people

exile empowered Jimena even further

he now enjoyed the complete freedom to

express his dislike of the Shah and his

policies he presided over a complex

network of followers who had carried

tape recordings of his writings and

speeches back to Iran where they were

repeated and distributed in mosques

throughout the country Khomeini was

becoming the voice of opposition to

Iran's ruling elite anyone has a

physique he was physically in Najaf but

through friends and foreign media he

would get information about the

situation here no one in the close

circle would do anything without his

permission his knowledge was so acute

that he knew details of what was going

on here that even Iranians didn't know

he it was a man that who is in the

position can challenge your very

effectively the political wisdom was

telling me that I have to cooperate with

him the quality which made Khomeini the

central unifying figure and symbol of

the Islamic Revolution was that he was

sealed by all anti-shah forces as a

humble and above all honest man with no

ambitions for himself after reading his

writings I came into his presence and I

felt myself before one who in whom there

was no gap between word and deed between

thought and action

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Khomeini was becoming the public face of

opposition to the Iranian royal family

to the outside world

he was the stern unbending critic of the

Shahs regime but little is known about

his private life by the time of his

exile in 1963 who was already 62 years

old and the father of seven children

though only five survived through

infancy he also had 15 grandchildren his

immediate family saw a very different

side of Ayatollah Khomeini I can dare

say that he was the best grandfather in

the world maybe in the world of politics

he was very senior and powerful but when

he came back home we would forget that

he was the Imam with all that power and

that he shook the world all the children

small and big ones loved him not because

he was the Imam or the leader of the

country but because of his kindness and

sensitivities his children and the

grandchildren all loved him a very kind

and gentle person

Romanies public resistance to women's

rights was also quite different to how

he treated them in private

Navajo doctors he loved his

granddaughter's most of all he himself

was very chic and well-dressed he would

say to us women are so smart they take

all the good things for themselves

you could smell his perfume from ten

meters away he usually wore woman's

perfume

as for Manny's influence and following

swelled inside Iran authorities in

Tehran were also on the scent and wanted

to stop him but the only thing the chars

government could do was to ask Saddam

Hussein to silence Khomeini from his

exile in Niger it worked and in October

of 1978 Khomeini once again found

himself without a country he was soon to

find sanctuary in Europe it was an

unlikely refuge for such a religious

leader I proposed me that we should go

to Paris first he didn't agree because

it was very it was very heavy idea for a

high much they had a reverend in his

calibre to go to paris such a romantic

city somehow we were also concerned what

the reactionary clergy would react to

his trip to paris he said ok we go to

Paris of course there was some good

reason that we choose Paris what

happened all of a sudden the movement

became internationalized mirthless

Chateau became the new nerve center of

Romania steam and the ayatollahs

temporary home I was responsible during

those few mouths in the flesh I told in

all press conferences and interviews I

worked in LA khomeini I mean the

journalist the translation and

everything another responsibility of

mine was looking at - more than 20

newspapers journals every day looking

for the news and I prepared a news

briefing every night for right along

it was here just outside one of Europe's

most glamorous and historic cities that

the final plans for the Iranian

Revolution were being drawn for what who

mainly believed to have been his and

Iran's destiny

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you

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the world was witnessing at first the

leader of a strategic oil-rich country

allied with the West on the brink of

being overthrown by revolution led by a

quiet simple spiritual leader it was a

romantic image for the Western media who

inevitably compared formini to Gandhi

meanwhile Tehran streets were taken over

by mass protests communists nationalist

socialists joined the revolutionary

movement and by this time Ayatollah

Khomeini was the undisputed figure

around which they could unify their

opposition to the Shah I don't think at

the first day that he came to Paris he

believed like that I think that like us

he believed that we will have a long way

to go but by the end of November and

December all the country was under his

control the position of Khomeini in the

revolution was such that because of his

religious high rank he was able to

address what we need people in the

street from all walks of life in big

cities in a small cities even the

villages because he was a religious man

many people they felt religiously

obliged to come and work in January 1979

the sharp was forced to flee he was now

the one in exile for the next two weeks

the country was preparing for Ayatollah

Khomeini's return home after 16 years

the revolution had been won it was

reported that on the way back from his

final exile in France - to Iran he was

asked by one of the journalists

accompanying him what do you feel at

this point and he said nothing which was

misinterpreted as a sign of gross

insensitivity

on the contrary was an indication of a

deep inner calm it as the whole world

watched the historic event form a nice

sense of absolute certainty remained

unprecedented crowds greeted his return

On February the 1st 1979 it seemed as

though all of Tehran had turned out

millions lined the streets from the

airport to the nearby Beheshti Zafar

cemetery where he finally addressed the

people I think that in the beginning he

didn't much care if he was to have an

official position within the governing

hierarchy was leader of the revolution

it was only after the Revolution when

the the Council of experts Reva

reviewing the draft constitution they

were incorporated his position within

the Constitution the Constitution was

written around jiménez ideology of

Velayati fatigue a religious

guardianship of the country a belief

that no law is greater than the law of

God was the cornerstone of Ayatollah

Khomeini's philosophy it had become the

principle around which the new

constitution would be written it would

also lead to Ayatollah Khomeini's

appointments as Iran's supreme leader we

oppose this idea saying that he promised

in France that the guardianship would be

with the people and not with him replied

that he had told a white lie

from then on we realized he was a liar

of course in the first constitution the

country was under the guardianship of

the people but in the first Assembly of

Experts they changed his rule in favor

of Khomeini Khomeini was to have final

word on all decisions he appointed the

first post-revolution government top

posts went to revolutionary leaders and

Claire

many of whom used their newfound power

to exact revenge on the chars associates

many point to the revolutionary cords as

the hallmark of what life after the

Islamic Revolution would be like a place

with makeshift tribunals that claim to

be trying prisoners for such crimes as

sowing corruption on earth and crimes

against the people

Romanies opponents lay responsibility at

his feet

hey there are hot overall he took

pleasure in taking power and he didn't

want freedom

he ordered political prisoners to be

asked three questions and if even one of

their answers was wrong they would be

executed a normal individual would never

take this approach several people talk

to him that this is not ever but he he

one of his estate really told me that if

you want revolution to sexy sometimes

you need to kill the ideals and

aspirations of every revolution become

lost with the grim reality of

revolutionary power Iran was to be no

different the West's romantic image of

the Revolution was about to end it would

come in November 1979 American supports

for the Shah was a key motivation for

the revolution and the issue was about

to come to a head

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University students acting on their own

stormed the American Embassy in Tehran

and took those inside hostage they

claimed the Embassy workers were all

spies and were plotting to overthrow for

mania and his government Iran and the

world were awaiting for millions

reaction Khomeini was very sensitive to

the opinion of the masses there was a

big rally there and that value was

broadcast and that rally were influenced

Khomeini immediately the same Sunday

that I went to visit him I told him what

has happened his first reaction that

afternoon to me was go and kicked him

out who are they

but many dispute this version of events

they are Italia Troy the supreme leader

would never say such a thing

if he had made any hint that he was

unhappy about such an incident they

would have ended it immediately whatever

his private misgivings may have been for

meny publicly gave his blessing to the

embassy attack a decision that provoked

uproar amongst many Iranian politicians

the hostage-taking took place in sunday

in monday the cabinet unanimously voted

for resignation and internationally

Khomeini was immediately vilified by

most Western governments for his defense

of the hostage takers gone forever was

the image of the Gandhi like spiritual

leader built up by the Western media in

its place was the image of the Muslim

cleric which fills the Western media to

this day harsh angry and implacably

hostile and above all to be feared

the hostages would be held captive for

444 days as from Amy became the target

of international condemnation Iran was

hit with harsh economic and political

sanctions occupying the nest of

espionage for 444 days and taking

hostages were not in our national

interest at all

later it was obvious and other groups

agreed with us this act was not in

Iran's national interest the entire

civilian cabinet resigned but for

Khomeini this was an opportunity to

consolidate his idea of Velayati 50 the

world's first theocratic state the

revolution was not yet a year old but

was already beset by criticism at home

and abroad

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emboldened by US military and financial

support Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in

September 1980 a country still in the

midst of revolution which he thought

he'd overwhelmed quickly the u.s. and

Iran had become implacable enemies most

Arab governments who were one party

stage saw absolute monarchies were

terrified of the idea of Islamic

Revolution and supported and funded him

for mainly seeing the conflict as an

opportunity to consolidate the clerical

hold on power described it as a wall

sent by God it was on his orders that

ceasefire requests by Iraq were

dismissed with deadly consequences he

could avoid devar and more than that

suppose that Saddam was an aggressor

attacked Iran after two years we

succeeded to kick him out of the our

country we have to stop ask for

ceasefire Bartolome need was persuaded

by Telegraph's and Johnny his closest

aide and he was persuaded by the top

commanders of Revolutionary Guard like

most in Arezzo

that we have to go inside Iraq we have

to release conquer Basra Iranian forces

went on the offensive and the prolonged

and bloody stalemate ensued the

iran-iraq war would last for eight years

and ultimately claimed more than a

million lives it is often said that war

is never won but this saying can sell

them have run more true than for the

Iranians who had incurred such terrible

losses what a stefani giant war had this

destiny for our nation to lose all these

human resources and genuine capitals by

the time a ceasefire was agreed in

August 1988 Grand Ayatollah Khomeini was

in his

he's suffering from heart problems

though it had been expected for some

time Ayatollah Khomeini's death on June

the 3rd 1989 stunned the nation despite

everything that had been done in his

name and the revolutions name he was

still revered and venerated by millions

who came out to Morgan the grief so

intense that his body was almost pulled

to the ground as throngs try to touch

him

the funeral was so significant that it

took precedence in the international

media over the Chairman's Square

massacre Manuel Montero Tatar they

thought he not only changed a region he

gave a personality to the Islamic world

I wouldn't say that everything that

happened during the Revolution was

correct but Imam Khomeini was very

influential in world history as well as

the Islamic history if we see progress

in the Islamic in the Arab world today

it's due to his thinking and thoughts he

gave identity to Muslims around the

world everyone accepts this I'm honoured

that such person is my grandfather the

legacy of Ayatollah Khomeini cannot be

underestimated his life and his force

still permeates every aspect of life

here he is still very present in Iranian

life presence that echoes still

throughout

of the world

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