Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Seeing the Ayatollah Khomeini from the Iranian perspective was jarring: Rather than
the impression I'd long held—of a threatening, unsmiling ideologue—many Iranians con-
sider Khomeini a lovable sage…unpretentious, approachable, and a defender of tradition-
al values. After the Shah's excesses and corruption, locals seemed to overlook Khomeini's
sanctioning of brutal tactics. Khomeini's simplicity and holiness had a strong appeal to the
Iranian masses. Locals told me that Khomeini had charisma, and if he walked into a room,
even I, a non-Muslim, would feel it. To the poor and the simple country folk, Khomeini
was like a messiah. As the personification of the Islamic Revolution, he symbolized de-
liverance from the economic and cultural oppression of the Shah. Khomeini gave millions
of Iranians hope. Khomeini's successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has had much less of an
impact on the people.
For many Iranians, what they would call “family values” trumps democracy and free-
dom. That's why they follow a supreme leader: Khomeini (right) and his successor Ali
Khamenei (left).
Iranians who support the Revolution call it a “Revolution of Values.” Many conservat-
ive Iranians I met told me they want to raise their children without exposure to cheap sex,
disrespectful clothing, drug abuse, and materialism—all things they associate with Amer-
