The 500 Most Influential Muslims - The Royal Islamic Strategic ...

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HIS EMINENCE GRAND
AYATOLLAH HAJJ SAYYID ALI KHAMENEI
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Grand Ayatollah Khamenei is the Supreme Leader of
the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was born in Mashhad
in the far north east of Iran, and studied in the leading
Iranian religious seminary in Qom, before becoming
involved in the struggle with the Pahlavi Regime in the
sixties and seventies.
Champion of Iranian Solidarity
Although Khamenei was initially criticized for endorsing
the June 2009 re-election of President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, he has been acclaimed for his response
to the post-election turmoil. He ordered the closing of
Country: Iran
Date of Birth: 17 July 1939
Source of Influence: Political,
Administrative
Influence: Supreme Leader of
66.8 million Iranians
School of Thought: Traditional
Twelver Shi’a, Revolutionary
Shi’ism
Rank: 2010:3 · 2009:2
the Kahrizak detention centre in response to reports of prisoner abuse and deaths. He has
called for solidarity within Iran, in light of the 31st anniversary of the Islamic republic on
February 11, 2010.
Defender of the Islamic Republic
As a response to the June sanctions on Iran passed by the U.N. Security council Khamenei
publicly denounced the efforts of the U.S. and Western powers as weak attempts at 'bullying'
Iran, in an effort to garner influnce as a defender of the Islamic Republic. This comes at a
time when his support of President Ahmadinejad is seen as a blot on his influence. July protests
against Ahmadinejad's tax increase on Iran's merchants were marked by public outcry
against the Supreme Leader.
Supreme Leader, Velayat-e Faqih
Khamenei’s current influence stems from his powerful position as a religious leader, which
gives him a unique role in political affairs. His job is to enact the Velayat-e Faqih—the guardianship
of the jurist. In real terms this means a system where scholars of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence)
have a controlling say in the political affairs of the state. The rule of the jurist was a
concept created by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, based on ideas that have run through Iranian
political history since the time of Shah Ismail—who was the first to make Shi’a Islam the
national religion of Iran. The rule of the jurist was conceived in a battle against oppression
as a way of safeguarding the Iranian nation from tyranny, giving the final say in all matters
to a group of religious scholars, the Council of Guardians. This Council is headed by a chief
arbitrator—the Supreme Leader.
Leader of Shi’a Revolution
Khamenei gains much of his influence in Iran from his role as a leader of the Islamic Revolution
in Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran was forged out of the 1979 Revolution. Combating
what many saw as the tyrannical rule of the Shah, Khamenei joined the Society of Combatant
Clergy that staged demonstrations mobilizing many of the protests leading to the Shah’s
overthrow. After the revolution in 1979, Khamenei was one of the founding members of the
Islamic Republic Party, and a member of the assembly of experts that was responsible for
drafting Iran’s new constitution.