Iran: 20 Years Of Islamic Rule
School bells rang and helicopters showered flowers on the tomb of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini Monday as Iran marked the 20th anniversary of the fiery cleric's return from exile.
The bells (along with whistles from trains and ships at port) were sounded at 9:33 a.m., the moment Khomeini's jet touched down at Tehran's Mehrabad airport on Feb. 1, 1979.
After returning from 15 years of exile, Khomeini overthrew the U.S.-supported shah and proclaimed the Islamic Republic.
His actions shocked the United States and raised fears across the Arab world that Khomeini would follow through on his pledge to export his strict vision of Islam. Fifty-two Americans were held hostage in the Iranian capital for more than a year.
Thousands gathered Monday inside the shrine - aglow with lights from giant chandeliers and adorned with precious Persian carpets - to pay tribute to Khomeini, who died on June 3, 1989.
State-run television broadcast live from the shrine, where Khomeini's grandson, Hassan, said his grandfather had "come as a hero and left as a hero."
Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran's former president who now heads a powerful policy-making body, told the crowds that the United States was still the enemy and claimed that only Iran's military might prevented the United States and Britain from carrying out attacks on Iran similar to those against Iraq.
Earlier, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khomeini's successor as Iran's supreme leader, and President Mohammad Khatami paid their respects at the shrine.
Every Iranian newspaper ran front-page pictures of Khomeini along with articles glorifying the father of the revolution.
"It is a full 20 years now since that memorable day in history which cleansed Iran of the cobwebs of corruption and ushered in the dawn of Islamic rule," said the English-language Kayhan International.
One goal was to keep Khomeini's memory alive, especially for the generation born since 1979.
The festivities are to climax on Feb. 11, the day the shah's government collapsed.
The Islamic republic that Khomeini left behind is now in the midst of a power struggle. Hard-liners want to continue to rule in his uncompromising style, while moderates are following the lead of the reformist president, Khatami, who advocates a"civil society" based on social and political liberties enshrined in Iran's constitution.
Khamenei has called on moderates backing Khatami and conservatives to curb their feuds, which have focused lately on a spate of killings of dissidents and upcoming nationwide local elections.
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