Ayatollah IS a title. For example, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's name is Ruhollah Khomeini and his position/title is Ayatollah. the term Ayatollah comes from the Arabic "ayat" (sign) "Allah" (God) which makes the Ayatollah, the Sign of God. Ayatollahs are highly-regarded clerics in the Shiite Islam with a similar rank in that religion to Cardinals in Catholicism or the Patriarchs in Orthodox Christianity. Sunni Islam does not have an equivalent position to Ayatollah.
the religious power of the ayatollahs
Ayatollah is a religious rank, not a specific group of individuals at a specific time. As a result, Ayatollahs have demanded many different things at different periods of time. If the question is specifically referring to the Ayatollahs of Iran in the second half of the 20th century, those Ayatollahs were demanding increasing adherence by the government to Shiite Islamic Law.
ayatollahs
The Religous leaders or the Ayatollahs.
According to the law, the Majlis (Parliament) passes laws, the President signs them, and the Ayatollahs certify their complicity with Shari'a Law (Islamic Holy Law). In reality, the Ayatollahs are more or less dictators and the Majlis and President follow their commands.
Assuming that the question refers to Iran: The Ayatollahs demanded an Iranian Constitution guaranteeing the primacy of Islamic Law in Iranian governance and themselves as its proper interpreters. This is called "Wilayat al-Faqih" in Arabic, meaning "State of the Islamic Jurist". If the question does not refer to Iran, it is worth noting that Ayatollahs in other countries such as Iraq and Lebanon have decided to support different political factions but not actually become ruling jurists.
Not in so many words. Prior to rule by the Ayatollahs Iran was called Persia and was ruled by the Shah. Up until he was unseated by the Ayatollahs the Shah was a great "friend" of the US. All three, Persia/Iran, the US, and the Shah did quite well out of it.
blloodclaut He was elected by a "Khobregan" which is a special meeting of Ayatollahs. Ayatollah Ali Khamanei was one of the members of the Supreme Council of Ayatollahs before he was brought out as their leader.
No. Cat Stevens is in no way affiliated with any of the Shiite Islamic Clergy where he could become an Ayatollah. There are numerous Ayatollahs and many sheikhs, muftis, and faqihs just waiting for the possibility of promotion to the ranks of the Ayatollahs. They are the ones who will accede to that rank, not Cat Stevens.
Ayatollah comes from the Arabic Ayat-Allah (أياة الله) which means "sign of God". It is a title bestowed on a Shiite cleric of high learning and there are dozens of Ayatollahs who are currently alive, with the majority being in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon. Similar to Catholic Cardinals or Orthodox Christian Patriarchs, they each "rule" over a certain section of territory in which large numbers of faithful live, provide answers to difficult religious questions to the faithful in their territory, and represent the faithful at larger religious meetings. The most famous Ayatollah is the Grand Ayatollah of Iran, which is a title bestowed on a singular Iranian Shiite religious leader. The Grand Ayatollah is considered the most senior and educated of the Ayatollahs in Iran and holds political power as the Supreme Leader of Iran. Currently, the holder of this position is Ali Khamenei, who inherited it from Ruhollah Khomeini.
Ayatollahs khomeni is famous to the people of Iran. But to the rest of the world he is not at all famous in any way.
There have been several fundamentalist Islamist regimes such as the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Ayatollahs in Iran, and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.