Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Khamene'i
Born: Mashad, 15 July, 1939
Sayyed Ali Khamene'i was born in Mashad, the holiest city, in the north-eastern province of Khorasan, in 1939. Both his parents belonged to clergy's families and spent the year 1964, he achieved the highest degrees in his theological studies at the Theological Academy of Qum but continued his studies at the Theological Academy at Mashad up to the age of twenty-nine.
Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Khamene'i proved a worthy student of Iman Khomeini: Joined his Islamic movement in 1962 and was imprisoned and exiled several times between 1963 and 1978 for his active role in organising the masses aganist the Pahlavi regime.
A list of some of his active posts, since the sucess of the Revolution, shows the confidence Imam Khomeini had in him:
- March 1979 - Member of the Revolutionary Council
- August 1979 - Commander of the Revolutionary Guards
- January 1980 - Friday Prayer Leader, Tehran
- March 1980 - Member of Majlis from Tehran
- September 1981 - Secretary General, Hizb Jamhouri Islami
Upon the death of Imam Khomeini, he was elected the leader of IR of Iran. He takes keen interest in the development of educational system at Qum; and has established the Computerised Research Centre of the Islamic Knowledge there with various important projects.