A few Wikipedia quotes:
...While in exile in Iraq in the holy city of Najaf, Khomeini gave a series of 19 lectures to a group of his students from January 21 to February 8, 1970 on Islamic Government. Notes of the lectures were soon made into a book that appeared under three different titles:
The Islamic Government,Authority of the Jurist, and
A Letter from Imam Musavi Kashef al-Qita[3] (to deceive Iranian censors). The small book (fewer than 150 pages) was smuggled into Iran and "widely distributed" to Khomeini supporters before the revolution. It was only when Khomeini's core supporters had consolidated their hold on power that wilayat al-faqih was made known to the general public and written into the country's new Islamic constitution....
...In early March, Khomeini announced, "do not use this term, ‘democratic.’ That is the Western style," giving pro-democracy liberals (and later leftists) a taste of disappointments to come...
[48]
In succession the
National Democratic Front was banned in August 1979, the provisional government was disempowered in November, the
Muslim People's Republican Party banned in January 1980, the
People's Mujahedin of Iran guerillas came under attack in February 1980, a purge of universities was begun in March 1980, and leftist Islamist
Abolhassan Banisadr was impeached in June 1981.
...By mid-1981 matters came to a head. An attempt by Khomeini to forge a reconciliation between Banisadr and IRP leaders had failed
[201] and now it was Banisadr who was the rallying point "for all doubters and dissidents" of the theocracy, including the MEK.
[202]
When leaders of the
National Front called for a demonstration in June 1981 in favor of Banisadr, Khomeini threatened its leaders with the death penalty for apostasy "if they did not repent."
[203] Leaders of the
Freedom Movement of Iran were compelled to make and publicly broadcast apologies for supporting the Front's appeal.
[204] Those attending the rally were menaced by Hezbollahi and Revolutionary Guards and intimidated into silence.
In mid August, shortly after the election of the constitution-writing Assembly of Experts, several dozen newspapers and magazines opposing Khomeini's idea of Islamic government — theocratic rule by jurists or
velayat-e faqih — were shut down
[52][53] under a new press law banning "counter-revolutionary policies and acts."
[54] Protests against the press closings were organized by the
National Democratic Front (NDF) and tens of thousands massed at the gates of the
University of Tehran.
[55] Khomeini angrily denounced these protests saying, "we thought we were dealing with human beings. It is evident we are not."
[56]
He condemned the protesters as
`wild animals. We will not tolerate them any more ... After each revolution several thousand of these corrupt elements are executed in public and burnt and the story is over. They are not allowed to publish newspapers.`
[57]
Hundreds were injured by "rocks, clubs, chains and iron bars" when
Hezbollahi attacked the protesters.
[58] Before the end of the month a warrant was issued for the arrest of the NDF's leader.
[59]
So the mullahs reached and retained power by trickery, armed repression, betrayal of trust, and - under their "guardianship" system - theft.
It seems to be a trend among many "world leaders" to claim no country is better than any other. Could that be what Khameini had in mind when he denounced Zionism as "an illegitimate and bastard" regime?
