Born on c. 1900 (Khomein, Persia)
Died on June 3, 1989 (Tehran, Iran)

Religious leader of Iran
Politician

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was the leader of the Islamic revolution in Iran. He came to power in 1979 in a violent storm of religious fervor. Muslims in Iran and throughout the Middle East were attracted to his rejection of Western-influenced modernization and his emphasis on Islamic tradition. (Western influences came from Western countries such as Britain, France, Canada, and the United States.) But his leadership was in many ways detrimental to Iran: he mismanaged the country's economy, prolonged a bitter and bloody war with Iraq that cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of Iranians, and slowed down the development of the country by many years. He was reviled by many leaders in the West, yet his form of Islamic rule had a great impact on the region and changed the balance...