Although the shah had initially enjoyed the support of the ulama (the educated class of Muslim legal scholars),friction grew as he extended state influence over
Policy areas previously dominated by the ulama, including education ,law, religious endowments, and land administration. In response to the shah’s overreach, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini began to argue against the shah , absolutism, and foreign interference in Iranian affairs. A series of ulama-led popular
Demonstrations and disturbances in Qum and other major cities, which were brutally suppressed by the shah