Ayatollah Khomeini

Definition

An Iranian religious leader and politician who led the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.

Analogy

Imagine Ayatollah Khomeini as that new principal who comes into school promising big changes. He rallies students (the people) against an unpopular teacher (the Shah), takes over, but then implements strict rules based on his own beliefs (Islamic law).

Related terms

Iranian Revolution (1979): The events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Shi'a Islam: The second largest branch of Islam after Sunni Islam. Ayatollah Khomeini was a prominent figure within Shi'a Islam.

Theocracy: A form of government in which a deity is the source from which all authority derives. Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini became a theocracy.