3
3
2
Khomeini's family had immigrated to the city of Najaf in Iraq for religious studies and his father, who was also a clergyman, moved to Khomein to start his ministry. Khomeini's father married once and had six children (three sons and three daughters). Ayatollah Khomeini is the youngest of these six children. Khomeini's father was killed in his 40's by a group of local bandits who might have had some connections with the local government of the time. At the time, Khomeini was only a year old and the bandits were captured and their leader was decapitated. There were some reports that specified that Khomeini was present at the horrifying event of the decapitation. I personally heard this story and its gruesome details from one of the Ayatollahs in Iran in 1985*2. However, there is ample evidence that he was far too young to have been a part of it. His oldest brother Ayatollah Pasandideh was about ten years old at that time and was present during the decapitation. Ayatollah Pasandideh described this event in detail in his memoirs.*3
After Khomeini's father's death, Khomeini's aunt moved into the Khomeini family household and took over his parenting. There are many reports that this aunt raised him. There is very little information regarding Khomeini's mother. This omission is somewhat peculiar as Khomeini's mother was young and available. The introduction of the aunt into the family must have had specific family reasons of which we are not aware.
The reports of the events associated with Khomeini's early childhood are limited and are mentioned in this article. We know that the aunt was a strong character and had a lot to do with Khomeini's upbringing. While growing up, Khomeini's brother took the role of a father figure and considering their age difference one can see how such an attachment was possible. When Khomeini was 10, his brother was more than twenty years old. The practice of the oldest son taking the role of the father after the premature death of a father is a common practice in Iran and strongly expected. That is what my uncle did after my grandfather died, and that is what I did when my father died. A son who would be guilty of negligence in carrying out this responsibility would have the burden of carrying several insults for the rest of his life.
Khomeini's brother reported his role in Khomeini's education in detail. One should consider that the clerical educational system of that time was different than the secular education of people like my uncle of the same generation. In clerical education, a student would be assigned a teacher and he would spend several years with him until the student was knowledgeable enough to go to a higher-level teacher.
Khomeini developed a strong attachment to his brother, which was closer than that for two typical Iranian brothers. Khomeini had a lot of respect for him and in their older ages was very concerned about his health. During the time he was in exile, whenever he had a correspondence with his younger son, he would urge him to look after Ayatollah Pasandideh. Obviously, Pasandideh was a father figure to him.*6 Apparently, the teacher of his first years was the brother. Ayatollah Pasandideh reports that he taught Khomeini the art of good penmanship.
Looking at their handwriting, one notices the resemblance in their writing style. One should keep in mind that in our culture, especially at that time, poor handwriting was equivalent to a poor education. If one examines Khomeini's writings one can easily see that even at his very old ages, he had a very good command of Persian writing. Also, his writings rarely have any scratching on them. In other words, he would not cross out what he had written. The same phenomenon is easily detected in his speech and behavior. Obviously, he was a thoughtful man and he would think about what he wanted to say or write in advance. Therefore, there was very little modification in his writing.
young khomeini
Ayatollah Pasandideh, in his memoirs, explains the gruesome events of his father's death in detail. He also relays that he had been told that he suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder; however, he does not explain his condition in detail and he only uses the term "Vasvas." Ayatollah Pasandideh's book of memoirs are detailed enough to suggest obsessive thinking and perfectionism. Khomeini moved to the city of Qum in his teenage years. The city of Qum is a religious city and currently is the Shiite equivalent of the Vatican. In those days, if one decided to study theology he would do so in the Iraqi cities of Qum or Najaf. It is widely reported that Khomeini was an intelligent and dedicated student. He was disciplined and regimented. There are many references to his high IQ. Considering his educated family background and his rich vocabulary and syntax, one can estimate his IQ to be at superior levels.
Khomeini was far too poor to be able to marry like other men of his time who generally would marry in their late teens or early twenties. Instead, he got married at the age of 27. As the result of this marriage, he had two sons and three daughters. He was mostly a student of a famous Ayatollah by the name of Ayatollah Borojerdi. The Ayatollah Borojerdi was quite powerful, wealthy, influential, and had the ability to keep Khomeini in check.*8
Ayatollah Boroujerdi
Broujerdi's orders and words carried a lot of weight. He was also able to maintain a cordial relationship with the royal family. He had noticed that Khomeini was hardheaded and had a sharp tongue with political issues. Therefore, he forbade him from getting involved in politics. I personally have met clergymen in Iran who told me that they had seen occasions in which Ayatollah Borojerdi would yell at Ayatollah Khomeini and tell him to be quiet. This kind of public humiliation is quite unusual among the high level clergymen. It shows Broujerdi's power and Khomeini's respect for him, which was there as long as Borojerdi was alive. In time, Khomeini was able to finish his studies and became an Ayatollah.
Khomeini's Condition:
Ayatollah Pasandideh (Khomeini's brother) admits that he was told that he suffered from "Vasvas." Vasvas is an Arabic word, which used to explain compulsive cleaning. However, currently, mental health professionals use it as an equivalent of different varieties of obsessive compulsive personality disorders (OCPD). Since Ayatollah Pasandideh admits to his Vasvas and the fact that he was Khomeini's substitute father, one can postulate that this condition was pervasive in Khomeini's family, and that his identification with his older brother might have contributed to it. The statistical correlation on this topic is quite strong. There is 45-60% higher probability of developing OCPD for the members of same family than control groups.*7
Ayatollah Khomeini's life story is a long array of different obsessions and compulsions, which affected him and all those around him. Since Khomeini was the founding father of Islamic Republic, we can see the effects of his illness on every aspect of Iranian politics today.
What is OCPD?
When reading the Ayatollah's life stories, which were reported by his family members and students, one is surprised by the unanimous manner in which friend and foe have explained his regimented and routine behaviors.
