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Article: Khomeini's Death Recalls Dashed Hopes; All Classes of Iranian Society Initially Welcomed the Ayatollah's Islamic Revolution
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- June 8, 1989
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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The fervor of the crowd that buried Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
at Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery here equalled and perhaps surpassed the
enthusiasm of millions of Iranians who welcomed him to power a decade
ago.
It was Khomeini's beloved mostafazin-the dispossessed in whose
name he carred out the Islamic Revolution-who provided the frenzied
ranks of enthusiasts when he first came to the cemetery to pay
tribute to the hundreds of martyrs killed in the ouster of Shah
Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.
It was here, on Feb. 1, 1979, that Khomeini ended his own 14-year
exile and told a horrified top aide that his revolution "required
100,000 martyrs." And it was here, next to a fountain pumping
blood-red ...