authority in the same way, and therefore no possibility of a routine transfer of
power. Ayatollahs will continue to exercise enormous authority both in Iran
and among fundamentalist Muslim groups elsewhere, and official political
leaders will frequently be able to claim this title, although their actual power
will increasingly come from more secular bases. In this context it might be
noted that Khomeini’s initial authority over his fellow ayatollahs derived more
from his long-term political opposition to the Shah, symbolized by his lengthy
exile, than from any special position he held in terms of his spiritual distinction.
Ayatollahs