Ayatollah gives audience
NZPA Beirut In an effort to thwart rumours that he is seriously sick, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeiny yesterday received a group of Iranian soccer players at his north Teheran residence and urged them to spread the Islamic revolution to other nations, Teheran radio has reported. Sounding! fit and jovial, the Ayatollah, who has a history of heart troubles, told the soccer players: “I am not a sportsman, but I like sports -people.” The State-owned radio broadcast a tape of the Ayatollah’s speech to the athletes during its midday, news bulletin, which was monitored in Beirut. The Ayatollah’s voice sounded stable and energetic. He urged the sportsmen to spread the word of Iran’s Islamic revolution to other countries in the region “because it is you who see people in your visits abroad.” In an apparent reference to conservative, oil-rich Arab nations, nervous about the Ayatollah’s threat to export his fundamentalist regime, the Ayatollah said: “It is these governments who are against us. Their peoples are in favour of our movement. As ' you show them your physical power, show the people your mental strength as well ... your ideological strength?’ In London, “The Times” on Saturday speculated that the Ayatollah was either dead or seriously ill. It is said the Iranian leader had not held a public audience for several weeks.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19820309.2.74.4
Bibliographic details
Press, 9 March 1982, Page 8
Word Count
220Ayatollah gives audience Press, 9 March 1982, Page 8
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Copyright in all Footrot Flats cartoons is owned by Diogenes Designs Ltd. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise these cartoons and make them available online as part of this digitised version of the Press. You can search, browse, and print Footrot Flats cartoons for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Diogenes Designs Ltd for any other use.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.