Sayings of the Ayatollah Khomeini: Political, Philosophical, Social, & Religious [Paperback]

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Bantam Books
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553140329
• ISBN-13: 978-0553140323
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,349,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Khomeini Says February 26, 2005

By William Garrison Jr. VINE™ VOICE

This 1980 Bantam paperback has severely yellowed due to its cheap paper. It claims it was translated from the Persian by Jean-Marie Xaviere into French (1979) and then into English by Harold Salemson. At the top of the paperback cover it reads: "The Little Green Book". It has about 300+ one- or two- sentence "quotations" from Khomeini -- but none are attributed to any source(s). Khomeini opines on the topics: Revolutionary Religion, Colonialism, Justice, Media and Propaganda, Temporary Marriages Okay, On the Manner of Urinating, On the Manner of Eating, On Ablution, On the Five Namaz, On Woman and Her Periods, On Marriage, On Taxes...and more. A few quotes: "Women of the lineage of the Prophet...are menopausal at the age of sixty; others, once they are over fifty."...."nor may a Moslem man marry a non-Moslem woman in continuing marriage, but he may take a Jewish or Christian woman in temporary marriage."...."A woman who has not yet reached the age of nine...may remarry immediately after divorce."...."Every part of the body of a non-Moslem individual is impure."...."One must avoid giving the Koran to an infidel; it is even recommended that it be forcibly taken away from him." Great quotes, but no attributions.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing Look Into the Mind of a Fanatic July 19, 2008

By Ky. Col.

For a little over a decade in the late twentieth century, the Ayatollah Khomeini burst onto the world stage from exile and became the figurehead of a revolution that toppled a decadent and at times ruthless Shah only to replace it with an oppressive theocratic republic. The seeds of the modern Middle East were partially sown under Khomeini's leadership. This brief volume contains translations of some of Khomeini's sayings while in exile on subjects ranging from Holy War, to government, to sexual relations, to taxes, to wiping one's butt (yes, you heard me correctly). I personally feel this book needs to be more highly read by Americans if it even halfway describes the Ayatollah's true opinions. The overall result is a disturbing look into the mind of a man who seemed to think of himself as a Shi'a Islamic messiah. Overall, I recommend it to anyone interested in Middle Eastern history or who just wants a taste of what a fanatic thinks.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Shocking reading August 22, 2010

By PeterDK

Amazon Verified Purchase

I have heard about this book for long time, but never managed to find a copy. If you want to know what is happening in the western world today, this is a must on your bookshelf.
I have very intense knowledge of Islam and the various hadits, and know about the modern rulings. This is really shocking reading, it is way beyond my wildest imaginations, and I really can't see why we take a ideology whose top people write this seriously.