French political activist: Imam Khomeini Mobilized a Nation Through Speeches

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - It was interesting that Imam Khomeini managed to mobilize a nation only by delivering speeches, a French political activist said.On the occasion of the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution’s victory, Olivier Lemoine added “This Muslim cleric replaced the monarchy with an Islamic establishment.”The spokesman for the French Solidarity Party said he was 11 when he first saw Imam Khomeini on a French television channel.“I also remember the newspaper headlines at the time. They published articles that were mostly biased and supportive of the Shah’s regime,” he said.“A few months later, newspapers reported that Imam Khomeini returned to Iran and the monarchy collapsed. I was very surprised wondering how this cleric, against whom the (French) newspapers had written so many articles, had managed to make such a great achievement.”Lemoine also noted that it was through news about Imam Khomeini’s anti-Zionist policies that he found out about the true face of the Zionist regime.The Islamic Revolution received particular attention in France after Imam Khomeini settled in Neauphle-le-Château, a suburb of Paris, in October 1978, and stayed there for more than a year before returning to Iran on February 1, 1979. Olivier Lemoine was born in Paris in 1968. He holds a PhD in religious studies and has carried out research at the Sorbonne University about Shia Islam.He is currently the spokesman of France’s Solidarity Party that has been established with the motto of standing against Zionism and occupation./129