Nadene Goldfoot
The Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of the Iranian Revolution, took over Iran and forced the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to leave the country. Khomeini had been in exile for 15 years before returning to Iran in 1979, shortly after the Shah's departure.
What did this religious leader have against the Shah? In the early 1960s the shah suspended the parliament and launched an aggressive modernization program known as the White Revolution, which included increased emancipation of women, reduced religious education, and a populist land reform law that upset the existing aristocracy. The implementation of these policies especially reduced and disenfranchised the powerful influence of the clerical class, but it also widely disaffected Iranian life and society: it harmed rural economies, led to rapid urbanization and Westernization, upended traditional social norms and values, and prompted concerns about democracy and human rights. Thus, opposition to the government united conservative clerics, the secular left, and others, who often found common ground under a banner of Shiʿi identity.
Khomeini’s anti-Jewish attitude is displayed in the opening paragraphs of the foreword to a special book. “Since its inception, the Islamic government was afflicted with the Jews when they started their counter-activity by distorting the reputation of Islam, by assaulting it and by slandering,” he wrote. “This has continued to our present day.”
Khomeini then goes on to attack his next villains, the “colonialists” who, he said, “can be considered more evil than the devil and his troops.” He is apparently referring to the West European countries and the United States and their activities in the Middle East.
When the Ayatollah was questioned about his anti-Semitism while he was still in exile in France last January, reporters cited his reference to Jewish “counter-activity.” He reportedly denied to Western journalists that he was anti-Semitic. While stressing that all ties to Israel would be cut, he said Jews would “enjoy all rights and full religious freedom” in an Islamic republic.
While Ayatollah Khomeini opposed Hitler and National Socialism, there are suggested connections and influences between aspects of Nazi ideology and Khomeini's regime, particularly regarding antisemitism and propaganda methods.
- Antisemitism: Some scholars argue that Nazi antisemitism, particularly the belief in a global Jewish conspiracy, influenced Khomeini's views, leading to his strong anti-Jewish rhetoric and the subsequent persecution of Jews in Iran.
- Nazi Radio Propaganda: There is evidence suggesting that Khomeini was a regular listener to Nazi radio broadcasts in Persian during World War II. This exposure to Nazi propaganda may have shaped his anti-Jewish sentiment later on.
- Propaganda Methods: Some analyses point to similarities between the Iranian regime's use of propaganda to control information and promote its ideology with the Nazi regime's techniques of manipulating and controlling information.
- Holocaust Denial: Iran, under the current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei (following Khomeini's footsteps), has actively denied the Holocaust on multiple occasions. This denial is seen by some as a continuation of or influence from Nazi ideology.
- Comparison to Hitler: Some, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, have openly or implicitly aligned with Hitler's rhetoric and goals, particularly in their shared animosity towards Jewish people and the idea of a global Jewish conspiracy.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, holds a deeply hostile and critical attitude towards Israel. He views Israel as an illegitimate state and the primary cause of instability in the Middle East. He frequently refers to Israel as the "Zionist regime" and calls for its destruction or elimination.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has many distinctive characteristics that ensure he stands out. He is the third-longest ruling leader in the world. He is one of the very few who claim a mantle of divine sovereignty.
He is unique in asking for 300,000 of his own citizens, the Baha’is of Iran, to be socially isolated by the Muslim majority. (Baha'is are friends of Jews in Israel and have a large Centre there--The Bahá'í World Centre, the spiritual and administrative heart of the Bahá'í community, is located in the twin cities of 'Akká and Haifa in northern Israel. It comprises the Shrines of Bahá'u'lláh, the Báb, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá as well as other holy sites in the surrounding area.).
After publishing a poster that calls for a “Final Solution” for Israeli Jews, he is now a rare leader who, in 2020, uses the phraseology of the most widely-despised political figure of the modern world, Adolf Hitler.
- While under the Khomeini era, the rhetoric was more revolutionary,
- "Khamenei's thinking has evolved to frame the destruction of Israel in terms of Palestinian human rights. While often expressing an uncompromising revolutionary approach, Khamenei has demonstrated a cautious policy in foreign relations to ensure the survival of his regime, including calculated risks and restraint. Overall, Ayatollah Khamenei's attitude towards Israel is one of deep animosity and a stated commitment to its destruction or elimination through various means, including supporting Palestinian resistance and calling for a referendum to decide the future of the region. " If possible, he is more hateful, more like the Nazis than
- the 1st Ayatollah.
Resource:
https://www.britannica.com/place/Iran
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhollah_Khomeini
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