Free Republic

Ever since he became Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has had to contend with the nagging doubt that he is simply not up to the job. Unlike Cyrus the Great, who was born into one of the great Persian dynasties and acceded effortlessly to the throne on his father's death, Khamenei's rise owed everything to the patronage of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, his mentor and the founder of Iran's Islamic revolution. As Khomeini neared the end of his life, the succession became increasingly important. It was generally accepted by Iran's clerical establishment in Qom that this privilege would fall to...

Ex-con American Muslim leader says Ayatollah Khamenei is best leader in world. The prominent leader of a Washington, DC-based mosque is openly declaring his support for Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei. Sheyk Abdul alim Musa, a black American who converted to orthodox Islam while serving time in federal prison a few decades ago, is calling the Ayatollah the one leader in the world who can unify all Muslims on the planet. Khamenei is the extremist Islamist who is the Supreme Leader of Iran, who has presided over massive human rights abuses since assuming office in 1989. Alim Musa is also a member...

Khamenei Brandishes a Kalashnikov at US and Israel October 15, 2006 DEBKAfile The powerful spectacle of Iran’s be-turbaned supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei clutching an automatic rifle, displayed exclusively by DEBKAfile, drew on the belligerent imagery of Yasser Arafat and Saddam Hussein. The Iranian media suppressed this particular shot in its coverage of his sermon at Tehran University Oct. 13, the third Friday of Ramadan. But the AK 47 toted by the ruler of the world’s foremost sponsor of terrorism was not missed by the political and military leaders in his audience and accentuated his war message. DEBKAfile’s Tehran sources...

Tehran, March 12, IRNA -- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said here Tuesday that the popular Intifada or uprising was the only way to liberate Palestinians from the racist Israeli regime's oppression. quot;Today only the continuation of Intifada...could unravel the tangle of the Palestinian people,quot; he told at the end of a theology class. The leader also criticized the Islamic countries for being indifferent to the rage of Zionist regime's atrocities in the occupied Palestinian lands under the violent policies of hardline Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. quot;Unfortunately, the Islamic world today does not fulfill at all its obligation toward...