On June 3, 1989, news of the passing of Imam Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini swept across the globe, bringing profound grief to revolutionary and freedom-seeking people from diverse ideological, intellectual, and religious backgrounds.
His Eminence departed after founding the Islamic Republic of Iran, securing the foundations of its political system, strengthening the will of its people, and setting it on a path toward growth and development that would ultimately elevate it into a major power capable of confronting and defeating global arrogance despite sanctions, pressure, and war.
That morning, sorrow swept through the hearts of the resistance community in Lebanon. Homes adorned with portraits of the Imam who revived Islam were filled with grief tempered by faith in God’s decree and certainty that the passing of the revolutionary founder would not halt the march of a state dedicated to defending the oppressed.
Born from the womb of revolution and the purity of faith, the Islamic Republic had mastered the art of saying “no” to the arrogant powers from its very inception. Mourning spread across faces and streets alike as people gathered throughout Beirut’s southern suburbs (Dahiyeh) to commemorate the Imam and recall the positions through which he empowered the free and challenged those who had submitted to American dominance and its regional instruments.
The families of Lebanon’s martyrs from the 1980s stood at the forefront of the mourners. Imam Khomeini held a special place for them in his heart, receiving many on numerous occasions to offer condolences for their loss while congratulating them on the honor bestowed upon them by God.
The same bond extended to the broader ranks of Hezbollah during that era. Their relationship with the revolutionary Imam was marked not only by ideological affinity but also by deep affection, trust, and gratitude for his constant dedication to defending the oppressed around the world.
Those who lived through that period understand the significance of mourning a leader who declared, “Do not fear the noise of the arrogant powers,” at a time when oppressed peoples everywhere suffered under the weight of colonial ambitions and Western domination. They remember an Imam who said, “A single strand of hair from the head of a poor person living in a humble dwelling, or from a family that has offered martyrs, is more honorable than all the palaces and their inhabitants across the world.”
Through such words, he restored dignity to the poor and to the families of martyrs—a dignity that colonial powers have long sought to crush and have repeatedly failed to overcome. They also remember a teacher who proclaimed, “What the prophets called for was the human being and nothing else.” They sought to build the human being; once humanity is reformed, everything else will follow.”
Imam Khomeini addressed people through the language of human dignity and moral elevation. Much of what the world witnesses today can be understood as a war against humanity itself—against the values, principles, and higher ideals that define it.
In a global order increasingly driven by the promotion of instinct, desire, and moral decay, the Epstein Island scandal stands, for many, as a striking symbol of the kind of world America has fostered. According to this view, Washington now wages war against all forces that seek to uphold human dignity, foremost among them the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Today, 37 years after Imam Khomeini’s passing, the world is witnessing the fruits of the revolutionary project he planted. It has become a force that continues to confound the arrogant powers. They have been unable to subdue it through war, assassination, sanctions, threats, or political pressure. They look upon the resilience of its people and struggle to comprehend how a nation can endure decades of economic siege, months of bombardment, and the assassination of its leaders—foremost among them the martyred Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei—along with attacks on its children, women, and civilians, yet continue to say “no” with confidence and strength. It continues to impose its own equations, uphold its non-negotiable principles, and respond to aggression with measures that match the attack and punish both the aggressor and those who support it.
In essence, much of what is unfolding today was anticipated and prepared for by Imam Khomeini. He entrusted its preservation and development to a worthy successor, the jurist-leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei, who carried the project forward until attaining martyrdom. He, in turn, left the responsibility of safeguarding the Islamic Republic and defending the oppressed to those capable of bearing it.
In this narrative, Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei emerged as a fitting successor, as though Imam Khomeini’s spirit had only grown more present with the passing of time.
Source: Al-Ahed News (Edited and translated by Al-Manar News Website)