Established by the students of Ayatollah Khomeini after his exile to Iraq, it was formed in order to organize political activities of Khomeini's followers and promote his revolutionary interpretation of Islam, such as the idea of Islamic government.

It currently heads the Supreme Council of Qom Hawzas, and proposes judges to the judiciary system.

The body gained international prominence when it announced in 1981 that Ayatollah Shariatmadari was no longer a source of emulation (marja').

[2] A recent case was that of Ayatollah Yousef Saanei, who for his solidarity with the green movement was demoted from marja' to hojatoleslam.

[4] The Society of Teachers from Qom Seminary from the Beginning to the present, Seyyed Mohsen Saleh and Alireza Javadzadeh, Publisher: Islamic Revolution Documentation Center This Iran-related article is a stub.