In his writings and preachings he expanded the theory of welayat-el faqih, the “Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist (clerical authority)”, to include theocratic political rule by Islamic jurists. This principle (though not known to the wider public before the revolution), was appended to the new Iranian constitution after being put to a referendum.
According to New York Times, Khomeini called democracy the equivalent of prostitution. Whether Khomeini’s ideas are compatible with democracy and whether he intended the Islamic Republic to be democratic is disputed.He was named Man of the Year in 1979 by American news magazine Time for his international influence, and has been described as the “virtual face of Shia Islam in Western popular culture”.
