Ata'ollah Mohajerani
| Ata'ollah Mohajerani | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance | |
|
In office 19 August 1997 – 19 December 2000 | |
| President | Mohammad Khatami |
| Preceded by | Mostafa Mir-Salim |
| Succeeded by | Ahmad Masjed-Jamei |
| Vice President of Iran for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs | |
|
In office 5 August 1989 – 18 August 1997 | |
| President | Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani |
| Succeeded by | Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Iran for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs | |
|
In office 5 August 1985 – 5 August 1989 | |
| Prime Minister | Mir-Hossein Mousavi |
| Member of the Parliament of Iran | |
|
In office 3 May 1980 – 6 May 1984 | |
| Constituency | Shiraz |
| Majority | 122,678 (79.8%)[1] |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 23, 1954 Arak, Iran |
| Political party | Executives of Construction Party |
| Spouse(s) | Jamileh Kadivar |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater |
University of Isfahan Shiraz University Tarbiat Modares University |
| Religion | Shia Islam |
| Website | http://mohajerani.maktuob.net |
Seyyed Ata'ollah Mohajerani (Persian: سید عطاالله مهاجرانی, born 23 July 1954 in Arak, Iran) is an Iranian historian, journalist, author and reformist politician. Mohajerani served as Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran under President Mohammad Khatami until 2000 when he was resigned from office for alleged permissiveness."[2]
Education
Mohajerani received his bachelor's degree in history from University of Isfahan, his master's degree in history and Iranian culture from Shiraz University and his PhD in history from Tarbiat Modares University.
Career
Mohajerani's political career began in 1980 after the Iranian Revolution, when he won the first round of the parliamentary elections to become a representative of Shiraz and the youngest member of the majlis.[3] Later, he became the Parliamentary Deputy to the Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi, when he started to write the weekly column Naghd-e Haal in the Ettela'at newspaper, and then Vice President of Parliamentary Affairs under Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.[3]
As minister of culture and Islamic guidance, he officially announced and pursued a policy of "leniency" (Persian: تساهل و تسامح) towards the field of culture and arts and removed many restrictions. He earned the wrath of conservatives by allowing hundreds of new publications to start up, the release of fifty-some Persian pop music albums, and the screening of the controversial movie Two Women.[4]
He survived an impeachment by the 5th Majlis which was dominated by the conservatives in part with a "daring" speech defending the principle of freedom of speech in Islamic rather than Western terms.
Why does the Quran carry the harshest criticism of the Prophet? ... It was not in the nature of the Prophet to stifle discussion of opposing points of view.[5]
In April 2000, however, he resigned due to heavy criticisms by the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, because of his "liberal" policies. He also served as the speaker of the cabinet during that time. He later became the president of the Iranian International Centre for Dialogue among Civilizations,[6] but resigned from the post.
He was a member and a founder of Executives of Construction Party, which is considered a backer of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Mohajerani participated in the funeral and burial of former revolutionary Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan, when few Iranian officials dared doing so because of Bazargan's very unpopular status among the higher ranks of the Islamic Republic government.
Works
Of the books Mohajerani has written, most famous are a "learned critique" of the Salman Rushdie novel Satanic Verses,[4] a book in support of Ferdowsi (and against attacks by Ahmad Shamlou), and a book on Zaynab bint Ali's role in and after Aashurah.
Personal life
Mohajerani is married to Jamileh Kadivar, who is also a reformist politician and a former member of parliament. In 2004, the conservative Islamist news agency Fars accused him of polygamous marriage and adultery, a charged denied by Mohajerani and his wife.[7]
Mohajerani left Iran and as of 2009 lives in England with his wife. They launched a website called www.maktoub.ir.
Mohajerani is "a vocal supporter of the pro-democracy Green Movement," and opposes violence against the Iranian government saying
If we answer violence with violence, we are no different from them.[3]
References
- ↑ "Parliament members" (in Persian). Iranian Majlis. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ↑ Christopher de Bellaigue, The Struggle for Iran, New York Review of Books, 2007, p. 5
- 1 2 3 Mohajerani goes to Washington PBS, Tara Mahtafar 20 October 2009
- 1 2 de Bellaigue, The Struggle for Iran, 2007, p. 7
- ↑ de Bellaigue, The Struggle for Iran, 2007, p. 8
- ↑ International Centre for Dialogue among Civilizations
- ↑ Published on Taipei Times World News Quick Take, 29 July 2004, p. 7
External links
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