[4][5][6] After the Iranian revolution, Khomeini implemented his interpretation of Velayat e Faqih in Iran, causing religious disagreements between Shias.
[7][8][9] Traditionally, Shia jurists stated that Velayat e Faqih "meant no more than legal guardianship of senior clerics over those deemed incapable of looking after their own interests — minors, widows, and the insane.
[16] Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari favored the traditional view that clerics should avoid politics, and was in conflict with the government of Khomeini.
[1] Subhi al-Tufayli claimed that Velayat e Faqih was not a real Islamic concept, but an excuse for the Iranian government to continue its tyrannical policies.
[20] Hussein al-Shirazi, in a lecture in Qom, criticised Velayat e Faqih and compared Ali Khamenei to a Pharaoh, causing his arrest.
[26] Many moderate Iranian Shias also opposed the Islamic Republic, including Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Hussein-Ali Montazeri.
[27][28][29] Muqtada al-Sadr opposed Nouri al-Maliki due to his ties with Iran, causing the Mahdi Army to rebel against the Iraqi government in 2006.
[44] Azerbaijani Shias also largely opposed the Islamic Republic of Iran, due to historic ethnic tensions, as well as the efforts of the secular government of Azerbaijan.