The central tenet of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s conception of an Islamic state is at the heart of the current unrest in Iran.

Khomeini reasoned that since the commandments of the Koran are difficult to interpret, people should be made to submit to the interpretations of a “properly trained religious scholar,” referred to as a velayat-e faqih.  The person occupying this position is Iran’s Supreme Leader.  The first supreme leader was Ayatollah Khomeini himself. The currently supreme leader is Ali Khamenei, his successor. 

It is as though the government of The United States or the United Kingdom had a super-executive who sat over all of government passing judgement.  Because clerics within the various Shia communities have always differed on theological matters, the stakes at risk over who holds the office are extremely high.

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