Khomeini'slettertoMikhailGorbachev

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On7January1989,RuhollahKhomeini,leaderoftheIranianRevolution,sentalettertoMikhailGorbachev,the
GeneralSecretaryoftheSovietUnion.ThisletterwasKhomeini'sonlywrittenmessagetoaforeignleader.[1]
Khomeini'sletterwasdeliveredbytheIranianpoliticiansAbdollahJavadiAmoli,MohammadJavadLarijani,and
MarziehHadidchi.[2]Intheletter,KhomeinideclaredthatCommunismwasdissolvingwithintheSovietbloc,[3]
andinvitedGorbachevtoconsiderIslamasanalternativetocommunistideology.[2]

Contents
1 LettertoGorbachev
2 Content
3 Gorbachev's
response
4 Controversyathome
5 AliKhamenei'sletter
6 References
7 Externallinks

LettertoGorbachev
RuhollahKhomeiniwrotetoMikhailGorbachevon3January1989.On7January,Khomeini'srepresentatives,
AbdollahJavadiAmoli,MohammadJavadLarijani,andMarziehHadidchi,wenttoMoscowtoofficiallydeliver
theletter.SovietofficialsmettheIraniandelegationintheairport.GorbachevthenmetwiththeIranian
representativesforapproximatelytwohours,whereaninterpretertranslatedtheletterforMikhailGorbachevand
hiscolleagues.Whensomepartoftheletterwasunclear,theinterpreteraskedtheIraniandelegationtoclarify.
Gorbachevlistenedpolitelyandtooknotesonitscontents.Theletter'scontentswerekeptsecret,andsoRussian
officialsdidnotknowitwasaninvitationtoconsidermonotheismandIslam.[4][5]

Content
Inhisletter,KhomeinicongratulatedGorbachevforhisbraveryindealingwiththemodernworld,andhis
reconstructionofSovietprinciples.HesuggestedIslamasanalternativetoCommunistideologyandrecommended
MuslimphilosopherssuchasIbnArabi,Avicenna,andFarabi.[3][6][2][7][4][7]
TheletterincludedapredictionabouttheendofMarxismandthecollapseofcommunism.Khomeinistated:"Mr.
Gorbachev!Itiscleartoeverybodythatfromnowoncommunismwillonlyhavetobefoundinthemuseumsof
worldpoliticalhistory,forMarxismcannotmeetanyoftherealneedsofmankind.Marxismisamaterialistic
ideologyandmaterialismcannotbringhumanityoutofthecrisiscausedbyalackofbeliefinspiritualitytheprime
afflictionofthehumansocietyintheEastandthewestalike."[7][6][4][8][9][10]

Gorbachev'sresponse

Afterhearingthetextoftheletter,GorbachevthankedRuhollahKhomeinifortheletterandsaid:"I'llsendan
answertothisletterassoonaspossible"andadded"we'lldeliver[Khomeini'sletter]totheSovietclergymen".
ReferringtoKhomeini'sinvitationtoIslam,hesaid:"weareapprovingthelawofreligiousfreedomintheSoviet
Union,Ihaveclaimedbeforethatdespitehavingdifferentideologieswecanhaveapeacefulrelationship".Also,
hesmiledandsaid:"ImamKhomeiniinvitedustoIslamdowehavetoinvitehimtoourschoolofthought?"Then
headded:"thisinvitationisaninterferenceintheinternalissueofacountry,becauseeverycountryisfreefor
selectingitsschoolofthought".[5]
AfterhearingGorbachev'sresponse,AyatollahAmoli,theheadoftheIranianrepresentatives,thankedGorbachev
forhisattention.Hesaid:"...weappreciatethefreedomofreligionandhopeanamicableconditionforallpeopleto
livewitheachotherastheyhavedifferentschoolsofthought.Buttheissueofinterferingshouldbeclarified.You
arefreeinRussiatodowhatyouwantandnoonehasrighttointerfereinthisrealm.Thecontentoftheletterdid
nothingwithmaterialismandtheterritoryofRussiaitwasjustrelatedtoyoursouls".[5]
InFebruary1989,EduardShevardnadze,MinisterofForeignAffairsoftheSovietUnion,deliveredGorbachev's
replytoKhomeiniwhenhetraveledtoIran.[4]

Controversyathome
TheletterbecamecontroversialwithsomeorthodoxclericsintheIraniancityofQumwhoregardedthethoughts
ofMuslimmysticsandphilosopherstobeheretical.[3]InalettertoKhomeinitheylamentedwhyKhomeinineeded
toreferGorbachevto"deviant,""heretical"and"Sunni"thinkers,arguingthattheQuranwassufficientfor
supportingIslamictenets.[7]

AliKhamenei'sletter
MohammadJavadLarijani,amemberoftheIraniandelegationthattransmittedKhomeini'sletter,said:"...a
messagebyLeaderoftheIslamicRevolutionAyatollahSeyyedAliKhameneiaddressedtotheWesternyouth
complementsa1989letterwrittenbylateImamKhomeinitoformerSovietleader,MikhailGorbachev".Hestated
thatKhomeiniandKhamenei'sletters(TotheYouthinEuropeandNorthAmericaandTotheYouthinWestern
Countries)invitepeoplefromthewesttounderstandIslam.[11]

References
1.MelvinAllanGoodman(1991).Gorbachev'sRetreat:TheThirdWorld.GreenwoodPublishingGroup.p.61.ISBN978
0275936969.
2.TheGreatestJihd:CombatwiththeSelf.AlhodaUK.2003.pp.15.ISBN9789643355579.
3.MichaelAxworthy(2013).RevolutionaryIran:AHistoryoftheIslamicRepublic.OxfordUniversityPress.p.301.
ISBN9780199322268.
4.JohnW.Parker(2009).PersianDreams:MoscowandTehranSincetheFalloftheShah.PotomacBooks,Inc.p.64.
ISBN9781597976466.
5.AitEtiketler,Konusuna(23December2012)."ImamKhomeini's(RA)LettertoGorbachevisnarratedbyAyatollah
Amoli".IslamicInvitationTurkey.Retrieved18January2016.
6.HooshangAmirahmadiNaderEntessar(11September2002).ReconstructionandRegionalDiplomacyinthePersian
Gulf.Routledge.p.206.ISBN9781134921669.
7.BaqerMoin(1999).Khomeini:LifeoftheAyatollah.I.B.Tauris.p.275.ISBN9781850431282.
8."StudyIslam,KhomeiniSuggeststoGorbachev".TheNewYorkTimes.5January1989.Retrieved17January2016.
9."ImamKhomeini'shistoricepistletoGorbachev".IranEnglishRadio.7January2012.Retrieved17January2016.
10.ImamKhomeini:Life,ThoughtandLegacy.TheOtherPress.2009.p.58.ISBN9789675062254.

11."IranLeadermessagecomplementsImamKhomeini'slettertoGorbachev".PressTV.7February2015.Retrieved
18January2016.

Externallinks
PictureofIraniandelegationwithMikhailGorbachev(http://en.abna24.com/cache/image/2015/02/07/2a7eb
dd332d0446547414f30a657510e.jpg)
AyatollahAmoliandMikhailGorbachev(http://en.imamkhomeini.ir/UserFiles/13020_768.jpg?src=System)
Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Khomeini%27s_letter_to_Mikhail_Gorbachev&oldid=744933685"
Categories: 1989works 1989inIran 1989intheSovietUnion Letters(message) MikhailGorbachev
RuhollahKhomeini
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