It was natural that young Ruhollah Musawi would become a
Shiite cleric, since he would be following in the footsteps of his
grandfather, father, and older brother. His teaching and influ-
ence, however, would reach far beyond his hometown of
Khomein, Iran. Throughout the mid-twentieth century, while
he cultivated a dedicated following of Islamic students, he
found himself on a collision course with the shah of Iran.
Religion and politics came together as Shiite clergymen and
social dissidents united to criticize Shah Reza Pahlavi and his
policies of modernization. The anti-shah movement, divided
and unfocused at first, lurched toward revolution with increas-
ing violence. During the 1960s and 1970s, Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini was exiled for his bold opposition to the Pahlavi
regime. Remarkably, even in his absence, his popularity grew
to incredible heights. He became the voice of the revolution
and, eventually, his nation’s supreme leader—the mastermind
of a new and very different Iran.,!7IA7J1-ahigff!:t;K;k;K;k
ISBN 0-7910-7865-EAN *53849-AHIGFeUPC
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