nothing to deserve persecution and death at the hands of the
ruler, he said. “It seems to me that Yazid [Husain’s mortal
enemy] had a far more basic aim: He was opposed to the very
existence of the family of the Prophet.” Likewise, Khomeini
argued, the student killed on the school grounds three months
earlier had not deserved to die. “What had he done against the
shah, against the government, against the tyrannical regime? We
come to the conclusion that this regime also has a more basic
aim: They are fundamentally opposed to Islam itself and the
existence of the religious class.”^20 He warned Pahlavi not to
duplicate his father’s fallacy in making agreements with Israel
and other non-Muslim governments.
The Iranian military again were sent to arrest Khomeini. They
took him to an army base in Tehran. By now, his name was
widely recognized among Iranians who were dissatisfied with
the Pahlavi government. They staged demonstrations—at times
violent—in the capital, in Qom, and in several other cities.
Soldiers confronted the protestors. Hundreds of people were
killed and injured in the ensuing clashes. Pahlavi declared
martial law until tensions eased.
This time, Khomeini and two other radical clergymen were
kept in custody even after order had been restored. Alarmed by
rumors that he was to be tried and executed, Iran’s Muslim
leaders—including some who disapproved of Khomeini’s
antagonistic strategy—implored Pahlavi not to punish him.
Khomeini was never placed on trial, but he was detained until
the following April.
For the next year, Khomeini made more critical speeches and
worked to unite young dissidents. Meanwhile, he appealed to the
poor across society, preaching that the Pahlavi government was
doing little to help them. He also attracted members of the
working class who feared foreign workers in Iranian industry
might take their jobs. His messages were distributed on cassette
tapes and leaflets. “He was no longer the somewhat unap-
proachable expert in philosophy and jurisprudence known
only to the more academic mullahs,” wrote historian Roy
Setting the Stage for Revolution 39