Introduction

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini based his conception of revolution on a return to core Islamic values and the restoration of Islamic rule of law in Iran, placing him and the politically conscious ulema (religious scholars) in direct opposition to the modernizing reforms of the Pahlavi monarchy. Khomeini’s rejection of the monarchy’s vision of a “modern” Iran and U.S. imperialism was partly based on his interpretation of Shi’i tradition. The Pahlavis had not only promoted a secular political and cultural trend in Iran, but had also done so to the advantage of foreign influence, particularly the United States. For Khomeini, the Shi’i history of rebellion against oppression and dispossession was a great source of inspiration for his struggle. Consequently, the fate of Ali and the Imams – who according to Shi’i Islam were arbitrarily deposed from their rightful authority to rule the umma – was integrated into Khomeini’s notion of revolution.

For Khomeini, the debilitated ulema needed to take a revolutionary path in order to restore Islamic rule of law in Iran. To this end, he embraced the anti-imperialist sentiments among the Iranian population, including the Iranian youth. Hence, Khomeini recognized the important role that the Muslim youth would play in advancing Islamic governance in Iran. These students, and the clergy who supported Khomeini in the 1960s and 1970s, became known as the followers of khatt-e imam or “Imam Khomeini’s line” on the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979. Soon after, this political affiliation spread beyond Iran’s borders. The Islamic Republic’s policy of exporting the revolution facilitated the creation of Islamic resistance groups such as Hizbullah in Lebanon. Hizbullah, too, proclaimed themselves as followers of Khomeini’s line.