Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, 89, the Unwavering Iranian Spiritual Leader (nytimes.com) The life of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was so shadowy, so overlain with myth and rumor, that there was lingering disagreement or uncertainty about his ancestry, his true name and his date of birth.
In early 1989, Khomeini issued a fatwā (juristic ruling) calling for the assassination of Salman Rushdie, an India-born British author. Rushdie’s book, The Satanic Verses, published in 1988, was alleged to commit blasphemy against Islam. Khomeini’s fatwā required not only Rushdie’s execution, but of “all those involved in the publication” of the book.
It was not until Jan. 20, 1981, Inauguration Day for Ronald Reagan, that the hostages were released, after 444 days.