The demonstrations of June 5 and 6, also called the events of June 1963 or (using the Iranian calendar) the 15 Khordad uprising (), were protests in Iran against the arrest of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after his denouncement of Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Israel. The Shah's regime was taken by surprise by the massive public demonstrations of support, and although these were crushed within days by the police and military, the events established the importance and power of (Shia) religious opposition to the Shah, and Khomeini as a major political and religious leader. Fifteen years later, Khomeini was to lead the Iranian Revolution which overthrew the Shah and the Pahlavi dynasty and established the Islamic Republic of Iran. Background In 1963, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran's Shah started several modernizing reforms in Iran which was known as "The Revolution of the Shah and the People" or the White Revolution, it was referred to as white due to it being a bloodless revolution. These plans were to make social and economic changes in Iran. Therefore, on January 26, 1963, the Shah held a national referendum for 19 rules of White Revolution. The rules of this revolution were land reforms, nationalization of the forests and pastureland, privatization of the government owned enterprises, profit sharing, extending the right to vote to women, formation of the literacy corps, formation of the health corps, formation of the reconstruction and development corps, formation of the houses of equity, nationalization of all water resources, urban and rural modernization and reconstruction, didactic reforms, workers' right to own shares in the industrial complexes, price stabilization, free and compulsory education, free food for needy mothers, introduction of social security and national insurance, stable and reasonable cost of renting or buying of residential properties, and introduction of measures to fight against corruption. The Shah announced this revolution as a way towards Modernization. Also, other sources believe that the Shah could give legitimacy to Pahlavi dynasty with his White Revolution. The revolution caused a deep rift between Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Iranian Shia religious scholars, Ulama. They claimed these changes were a serious threat to Islam. Ruhollah Khomeini was one of the objectors who held a meeting with other Maraji and scholars in Qom and boycotted the referendum of the revolution. On January 22, 1963, Khomeini issued a worded declaration denouncing the Shah and his plans. Khomeini continued his denunciation of