Gardening, poetry and quran study They have little to do with each other. But one man – or so the press representatives claim and repeat – unites them all. Moreover, they assure and repeat that this man engages in these pastimes every day, even though he does not rule his country or insult it. United States of America anyone Israel.
This man is none other than the Iranian religious leader Ayatollah Ali KhameneiEven though he has been in office for more than 30 years, he is one of the most unknown leaders in the Middle East. Khamenei is also one of the most powerful men in the world, and his words not only become law in Iran but also affect other countries in the region: Hamas And Islamic Jihad inside Palestine, Hezbollah inside Lebanon, Popular Mobilization Forces inside Syria And Iraq And Houthis inside Yemen: All these groups live under the tutelage of Iran and its Islamic Republic.
But Khamenei was different when he came to power in 1989. He is much calmer and harmless, even somewhat moderate, as many people think: that’s why he was chosen as his successor. Ruhollah Khomeini After the death of Iran’s first ayatollah. But now experts consider Khamenei the greatest figure in the world. ultraconservative and radical group in the ranks of power Teheran.
In 1939, the son of a family of eight siblings in the most religious city of Iran, MashhadKhamenei chose his father’s path and started his career at the age of 11. theological studies to be a clergyman. It was during his student years that the future religious leader joined the Islamist political movement against the Shah of Iran. Muhammad Reza PahlaviThis resulted in Khamenei being imprisoned up to six times.
But everything changed in 1979: Ruhollah Khomeini flew from Paris to Tehran, the revolution triumphed and the country ceased to be a state in a few days. secular monarchy as a rule, it is led by shaven-headed soldiers islamic republic It is run by clergy and bearded men out of necessity.
Survivor
At a conference in 1981, the cleric was the victim of an attack in which he lost his right arm. But in this new country, Khamenei was destined to rise to the top: “I felt like I was on the verge of death. In the following days, I asked myself why I was alive. That’s when I realized: God“For some reason, I wanted him to survive,” Khamenei said months later.
The cleric still recovering in October 1981 elected presidentit was a position that served as a springboard eight years later. Iran’s second greatest leader, After Khomeini’s death.
“There is probably no other leader on the planet who is as important in world affairs and as little understood as Khamenei. Neither dictator nor democrat“But Khamenei, who bears the traces of both, is the most powerful man in a highly fragmented autocratic regime like Iran,” he wrote. think tank international Carnegie’s expert Karim Sadjapour. “Even if one does not make decisions alone, political decisions cannot be made.” without your consent. Khamenei ruled his country based on consensus [entre el alto clérigo chií] not through decrees, and its top priority has always been the survival of society. theocratic system“added.
discussed in the street
There have been many waves in Iran in recent years. protests and mass demonstrations But never has the Islamic Republic been so questioned by its citizens as it is in 2022 – as it was after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s second election victory in 2009.
Protesters burning streets across the country following the death of young Mahsa Aminí were not just demanding an end to acts of terrorism. compulsory veilbut they went much further: ‘ slogandeath to dictator‘were as prominent or more prominent than vowels’woman, life and freedom‘.
The dictator, of course, was none other than Ali Khamenei. However, a year after Aminí’s death, the protests were suppressed. violence, death and mass arrests.
Rumors abound at the moment: 84-year-old Khamenei is supposedly ill and the Islamic Republic is currently searching for a cure. to replace. All eyes are focused on the current Iranian president. Ibrahim Raisiwho can follow in the footsteps of his predecessor: who can move from the presidency to the position of religious leader. In fact, Raisi was chosen for this position due to both his ideological and personal closeness to Khamenei.