
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 30, 1994                   TAG: 9411300058
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: NICOSIA, CYPRUS                                 LENGTH: Short

WORLD SHIITE LEADER, AT LEAST 100, DIES

The Grand Ayatollah Ali Araki, supreme leader of the world's 100 million Shiite Muslims, died Tuesday at a Tehran hospital, Iranian radio reported. He was at least 100 years old.

The broadcast, monitored in Cyprus, announced late Tuesday that ``his eminence Grand Ayatollah Araki bade farewell to the living world after a long illness despite the efforts of doctors.''

Araki was admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit three weeks ago.

The Iranian government announced a week of mourning.

Even before Araki's death, Iran was trying to influence the selection of his successor in an attempt to enforce its own version of militant Islam.

- Associated Press

by CNB