Latest news with #AyatollahKhomeini
ABC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
How Ayatollah Khomeini changed Iran
With Iran still in the news, we thought we would revisit the man who created the regime that so many in the Israeli and American political establishments would love to topple: Ayatollah Khomeini. This is the man who came back from 16 years in exile to be the Supreme Leader of Iran's fundamentalist Islamic regime and overthrew the 2500 year old monarchy. This episode was originally published on the 22nd February 2024. Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app. Check out our series on YouTube:
CNN
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Salman Rushdie Fast Facts
Here's a look at the life of Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie. Birth date: June 19, 1947 Birth place: Bombay (now Mumbai), India Birth name: Ahmed Salman Rushdie Father: Anis Ahmed Rushdie, businessman Mother: Negin Rushdie, teacher Marriages: Rachel Eliza Griffiths (2021-Present); Padma Lakshmi (2004-2007, divorced); Elizabeth West (1997-2004, divorced); Marianne Wiggins (1988-1993, divorced); Clarissa Luard (1976-1987, divorced) Children: with Elizabeth West: Milan; with Clarissa Luard: Zafar Education: King's College, University of Cambridge, graduated in 1968 Rushdie moved to England to attend Rugby School, where he experienced racist taunts and bullying from his classmates. Before becoming a full-time writer, Rushdie worked intermittently as an advertising copywriter in London. The 1988 release of Rushdie's book, 'The Satanic Verses,' was met with demonstrations, riots and bans in Muslim-majority countries for perceived blasphemy. Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or religious edict, in 1989 calling for the author and everybody who worked on the book to be killed. Ettore Capriolo, an Italian translator of the novel, was stabbed; Hitoshi Igarashi, a Japanese translator of 'The Satanic Verses,' was murdered; and William Nygaard, a Norwegian publisher, was shot and wounded. Following the 1989 fatwa, Rushdie went into hiding with the assistance of British police and was forced to limit public appearances and restrict his movements for over a decade. Rushdie created an alias for himself, 'Joseph Anton,' an amalgamation composed of two other writer's names: Joseph Conrad and Anton Checkov. In The Sunday Telegraph, Rushdie has stated that if he had not become a writer, his dream was to be an actor. 1975 - Rushdie's first novel, 'Grimus,' is published. 1981 - Wins the Booker Prize for 'Midnight's Children.' 1983 - 'Shame' is published. 1988 - 'The Satanic Verses' is published. February 14, 1989 - Ayatollah Khomeini issues a fatwa against Rushdie, calling for his murder. Rushdie goes into hiding with the assistance of British police. 1990 - 'Haroun and the Sea of Stories' is published. 1998 - The Iranian government pledges not to seek to carry out the fatwa on Rushdie. 2001 - Rushdie appears as himself in the film 'Bridget Jones's Diary.' 2006 - Joins Emory University's English Department as Distinguished Writer in Residence and begins teaching in 2007. June 16, 2007 - Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature. Rushdie collects his knighthood on June 25, 2008. 2011-2015 - Serves as University Distinguished Professor of the College of Arts and Sciences at Emory University. 2012 - The film adaptation of 'Midnight's Children' premieres. 2016 - Becomes a US citizen but retains British citizenship. August 12, 2022 - Rushdie is stabbed multiple times onstage before his scheduled lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York. According to Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt, Rushdie suffers three stab wounds to his neck, four stab wounds to his stomach, puncture wounds to his right eye and chest, and a laceration on his right thigh. August 13, 2022 - Hadi Matar, 24, accused of stabbing Rushdie, pleads not guilty to attempted murder in the second degree and other charges. October 22, 2022 - According to Rushdie's literary agent Andrew Wylie, in an interview given to Spanish newspaper El País, Rushdie has lost sight in one eye and one of his hands is 'incapacitated' following the August 2022 attack. October 28, 2022 - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announces new sanctions on the '15 Khordad Foundation' over the attack of Rushdie. February 6, 2023 - Rushdie gives an interview to The New Yorker, his first interview since he was severely injured in the 2022 stabbing attack. February 7, 2023 - Rushdie's 'Victory City' is published, his first book published since the attack. According to his publisher, Rushdie is not participating in a press tour. May 15, 2023 - In a rare public video message at The British Book Awards, Rushdie warns that freedom of expression is at risk. April 14, 2024 - Giving his first television interview since he was stabbed, Rushdie tells CBS' '60 Minutes' that he had a 'premonition' of the event just days beforehand. April 16, 2024 - 'Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder,' Rushdie's memoir about the 2022 attack and his recovery, is published. February 11, 2025 - Rushdie testifies in court against Matar, showing a jury his blinded right eye. On May 16, Matar is found guilty of attempted murder and assault and is sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
With every fragile ‘peace' in Middle East, the West sows seeds of a conflict
I have followed the recent '12-day war' in the Middle East through a 50-year-old personal prism. My interest in petroleum and a postgraduate thesis on oil for goods barter trade by Iran was sparked by the Yom Kippur War between Egypt /Syria and Israel in 1973. The war triggered a four-fold increase in the international price of oil and global stagflation. My first job in the Petroleum sector with Phillips Petroleum in London (after a short stint in the IAS ) was in 1980, a year after the Shah of Iran was deposed by Ayatollah Khomeini and months before Iran and Iraq commenced a bloody and inconclusive eight-year war. The Iranian revolution had doubled the price of oil and set off another global stagflation and the Iran-Iraq war embroiled the US when in April 1988, it sank the Iranian frigate 'Sahand' after a US frigate had hit an Iranian mine in the Straits of Hormuz. I am reminded of 'Operation Praying Mantis' every time there is talk of choking the straits through which pass nearly 20 per cent of internationally traded crude oil and one-third of Liquefied Natural gas (LNG). In 1990 when President Saddam Hussein moved his tanks into Kuwait and aimed SCUD missiles at the Shell-Saudi Refinery and Petrochemical complex in Al Jubail on the East coast of Saudi Arabia, I was in the Middle East Region of Shell International based in London. Shell Management decided that the head office must support the evacuation of Shell expatriates from the complex and as the lowest rank executive on the ME Regions totem pole, I was dispatched into the war zone. I could write much about the three days I spent surrounded by agitated rednecks desperate to get out of the region but that would take too many lines. Suffice it to say, I gained first-hand insight into the mental and emotional turmoil caused by rumours, misinformation and fear. More than a decade later in 2003, when President George W Bush ordered a US-led coalition to overthrow the Baathist Government of Saddam Hussein on grounds that Iraq had 'weapons of mass destruction' and was an accomplice of the al Qaeda terrorist group — allegations dismissed by the 9/11 Commission in 2004 — I was with the Shell Group in India. Although no longer in the thick of events, I was impacted. The international price of crude oil crossed into triple digits and the newly elected UPA government of PM Manmohan Singh reintroduced administered pricing of petroleum products. That put paid to Shell India's plans to break into the petroleum main fuels markets. Today I observe the fifth major eruption in the region — I define 'major' loosely — conflict has been endemic and continuous in the region so the distinction between 'major' and the rest is subjective — from the vantage point of an armchair commentator. I am no longer directly involved with the petroleum Industry nor engaged with the ME Region but I have the luxury to reflect on this half-century of involvement. I have read countless commentaries on the current state of affairs. Many questions have been raised. What is the extent of damage caused to Iran's nuclear programme? Does it still have fissile material and the centrifuges and equipment to enrich this feedstock and build systems to deliver nuclear warheads? Does it have the capability (or indeed the inclination — their leaders cannot have forgotten Operation Mantis) to choke the Straits of Hormuz? How stable is the ceasefire given Israel's PM Netanyahu has not achieved his goal of regime change? What about President Trump? Will he green-light a second round of bombing by Israel? What is China's game plan? And many more. Experts have weighed in with the answers. I too have views but on reflection, I hesitate to proffer them. For if there is one lesson that a historical overview throws up it is that ultimately the answers will not be derived through political, economic, strategic and humanitarian logic but by the ambitions of autocratic individuals. These individuals may well craft their responses around the enlightenment ideals of freedom, democracy, social justice and human rights but that is optics. The drivers of actions are subjective predilections. Few commentators have an insight into the psychological make-up of these leaders. I certainly do not. One further thought comes to the fore on reflection. All five major wars have been brought to a close either through diplomacy or military might/stalemate. But the closures have been fragile. For, the root cause of war has never been adequately addressed. I read Henry Kissinger's book 'CRISIS: The Anatomy of Two Major Foreign Policy Crisis' which described the telephonic diplomacy that brought about the ceasefire in 1973. Seen through the narrow lens of the objective to end hostilities, it was a success. All combatants salvaged something out of the fighting and America kept its hegemonic foothold in the region. But the plight of the Palestinian refugees was not on the agenda. Similarly, the Iran-Iraq war ended with no effort to address the core issues that triggered the conflict. It drew to a halt because both sides were exhausted and could no longer accept the high death toll. In a comparable vein, the two Gulf wars ended because the immediate objectives were met (viz the defeat of the Iraqi army and the execution of Saddam Hussein). The geopolitical, economic, religious and ideological cleavages that triggered the wars were tackled only in passing. Today, the Western world is focused on the proliferation of nuclear weapons. There is a good reason for this focus. Were such weapons to fall into the 'wrong hands' it could have catastrophic consequences. But, by failing to use their heft to address humanitarian needs, the genocide in Gaza, by ignoring the cascading anger and resentment they are in fact creating the conditions for this proliferation. Commentators can speculate but those with a historical perspective know this is the consequential reality. The writer is former Chairman of Shell India. Views are personal
South China Morning Post
05-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Like Iran today, China once had theocracies governed by divine rule
The day before I was scheduled to fly back to Singapore from London recently, Israel decided to launch a surprise attack on Iran. Soon, both countries were firing missiles at each other. Most flights between Europe and Southeast Asia fly over Iran. To be inside a gargantuan Airbus A380 when the sky outside is thick with deadly projectiles and anti-aircraft ordnance was not a comforting thought. On the plane, I anxiously followed the flight path displayed on the little screen as we flew over the Middle East The plane gave a wide berth to most of Iranian airspace, skimming north of the country over the Caspian Sea, but it was only when we saw the back of Iran that I could finally stop worrying. When Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979, I was still a child and too young to fully understand what was going on, but I still remember very vividly the news blitz surrounding the Iranian Revolution and its immediate aftermath. I can still see the grim visage of Ayatollah Khomeini glaring balefully from television screens and newspapers. It was also the first time that I came across the word 'Shiite'.
Toronto Sun
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Lax immigration vetting makes Canada prime target for Iranian infiltration, says Secure Canada
Reluctance to deport, IRCC caseworkers pressured to maintain low rejection rates, makes Canada an appealing target for foreign agents, Secure Canada says Protestors carry Iranian national flags and posters of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while chanting anti U.S. and Israel slogans, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. Photo by Vahid Salemi / AP OTTAWA — Canada needs real and rigorous reform of its immigration bureaucracy to deal with agents of the Iranian regime, urges a Canadian terror watchdog. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account In a statement posted online this week by the Council for a Secure Canada, the organization highlighted the threat posed by infiltration of Iranian officials, and how ill-equipped Canada is to deal with them. While the real numbers of active Iranian agents attempting to enter or already working within Canada isn't known, a Secure Canada spokesperson told The Toronto Sun that Canada's ineffective immigration oversight makes us a tempting target for infiltration. 'Considering the fact they figured out that Canada has a very lax vetting system, doesn't take national security particularly seriously — at least in the past decade — I would say, or just over, and there's a very established Iranian diaspora,' they said. Recent news reports, however, suggest Iran has as many as 700 agents at work in Canada, with the possibility of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members fleeing here as the Iranian regime becomes less stable. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Canada has barred the entry of anyone involved with the Iranian regime at a senior level at any time since 2003. In 2012, Iran was designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the Government of Canada, making it even more vital that Iranian applicants and visitors be vetted for… — Council for a Secure Canada (@CanSecureCA) June 27, 2025 The Sun spoke with numerous Iranian-Canadians who've said they — and their families back home — are under constant threat based on what they say in public or to the media about Iran's despotic government. '(Agents) have deep ties to Hezbollah, they have ties to other expat communities that share the Shia access and an ideological worldview,' Secure Canada said. 'Combined with lax vetting standards and a reluctance to deport, and the difficulty with which the system takes even really good cases for deportation — where agents work for over a year to build a very clear case — and the way the system can be gamed by people with deep pockets, and even people without particularly deep pockets.' Recommended video This reluctance to deport is baked into the institutional culture of Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC,), Secure Canada claimed — with sources and internal investigations suggesting career advancement for immigration caseworkers is based on keeping rejection rates low. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The mantra (within IRCC) is 'admit, admit, admit,'' they said. 'It's that complex of wanting to appear PC in every step of the process.' Automation of the immigration process also feeds into the issue, they said, saying that the chances of a human immigration agent getting a chance to thoroughly examine applications is becoming less and less common. 'There has to be a true review of what kind of system Canadians deserve, and what kind of system will allow us to retain a social fabric that is acceptable — we've seen in the past 2 1/2 years, especially since (Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel),' the spokesperson said. 'There's a sense that this country is changing, in some ways that are not positive — in terms of its public conversation, in terms of normalization of certain kinds of violent rhetoric, foiled terror plots and things like that. 'There has to be a pause.' bpassifiume@ X: @bryanpassifiume Read More Sports Money News MLB Editorial Cartoons Toronto Maple Leafs
